Lord of the Rings: Duodeciem
by yuesmlihui
Summary: What if Lightning and the others weren't returned to their worlds after closing the gate to the Rift? Shinryu's powers don't send them home, but sends them to Middle Earth. There, they must aid the Fellowship and destroy the ring, in order to go home.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I got the idea after reading Cervantesosis's fanfiction, so go read his/her fanfic! I wanted to use all the Dissidia characters, but that would be too many characters, so I'm just using Duodecim characters, and maybe a couple from the original roster. Won't tell you though ;) Enjoy!

I also want to give a shoutout to my beta Lord Lithros Maitreya, who has been a huge help! Without him, you guys would probably be horrified at all my errors -_-

Prologue 

Lightning collapsed onto her knees, heavily panting. Her body was screaming for rest. She watched as the arsenal man, Laguna, fall to his knees before falling on the ground. Vaan wasn't too far behind him, falling face forward. Kain grunted as he tried to remain standing before buckling to the ground, Tifa following suit. Lightning looked around.

Kain, Laguna, Vaan, Yuna, Tifa.

They all lay unconscious, a strange glow emitting from each of them. The shattered pieces of the manikins they had defeated lay around them like broken shards of glass. Lightning looked up at the new wave of manikins coming towards them. She saw the opening of the Rift disappeared in a bright glow.

She felt a weight lift off her chest for a moment. Her eyes widened as her breath hitched, before she succumbed to the darkness.

…

…

…

…

…

She felt warmth surrounded her body, and opened her eyes. She was floating in mid air, along with Kain and the other people who she thought were unconscious. She noticed that a weird light—different colors—surrounded them, and looked at her own body to see the same light. She looked at Laguna who gave her a thumbs up.

She saw the bodies of the others, who were unconscious, float in midair as well.

A dragon-like beast; the glow it gave off was blinding, snaked its way down towards the unconscious people. As the beast disappeared, so did the people who were unconscious, leaving Lightning and her group. Lightning looked at Yuna, who suddenly disappeared, along with Vaan, Tifa, Laguna, and Kain. Lightning saw the Warrior of Light looking up at her with confusion.

She bowed her head, and gave him a gentle smile, before she faded.

()()()()()()

Darkness.

She was falling into darkness. Why didn't she wake up? Wasn't she going home? She did what she could to help Cosmos, and it was obvious she wasn't going to be there for the next cycle.

But she continued to fall,

Into an endless pit.

And then, she moved herself into a standing position. She was no longer falling, but more in an endless dark void. She took a couple steps.

"Where…am I?" she asked herself. She took a couple more steps. "Serah?" she called out. She was met with silence.

"Kain! Yuna! Tifa!"

She started to run, but seemed to go nowhere. Suddenly, she saw a dim light in the distance. It was orange and red, like fire. She started running towards it. As she got closer, the light revealed itself to be a fiery orb, but as she kept getting closer, she realized something was wrong.

It wasn't an orb.

It was an eye.

Dark evil energy immedietly filled the air, and Lightning knew that this eye wasn't an ordinary eye. The eye was rimmed with fire, but was itself glazed, yellow as a cat's, watchful and intent, and the black slit of its pupil opened on a pit, a window into nothing.

"**I see you…"**__a malicious voice filled the air, and Lightning whipped out her gunblade. She looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. But only the eye was there.

"What are you!" she shouted at the eye.

But the eye only stared at her. The flames started getting brighter and bigger. She tensed as she heard an inhuman call in the air, similar to a shriek.

"What do you want with me?" she shouted again at the eye. But then, she heard the voice again, except it was chanting in a language she couldn't understand. In her mind, though, it seemed to form words.

_One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,__  
__One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them._

"Enough!"

She charged at the eye with her gunblade ready to strike. As soon as her blade hit the eye, all she saw was white.

()()()()()()

Two eyes, one blue and the other green, fluttered open. The young summoner sat up and realized that she had been sleeping in a small bed. She looked around. She was in a room of a small inn. There was a table with a nice tablecloth over it, along with a small vase of flowers. There were three chairs around it.

In one of the chairs, sat a male figure with a pointy hat. He was dressed in grey robes, and from the white clouds emanating from the figure; Yuna guessed that he was smoking. He appeared to not notice her awakening, and his form was still.

She looked at the man, and then down at the bed, wondering what to do. She spied her staff at the end of the bed, and took another look at the man. What was she suppose to do? Better yet, where was she? Was she brought back to life to fight another war cycle? Where were the others? Where was Cosmos? What was going on? She jumped as the man began to speak.

"I was wondering when you would awaken," the voice was rough and old, but gentle, "You had me quite worried there, young lady." The man slowly turned around to reveal an old face with a long grey beard and mustache. In his hand was a pipe. "That's quite a staff you've got there. I have never seen anything quite like it."

Yuna looked back at her staff, and then at the old man. "Who…are you? And where am I," she asked carefully.

The old man took a drag from his pipe, observing her. Her clothes were interesting, as well as her eyes. He didn't recall anyone in Middle Earth with mismatched eyes, but it did not deter from her beauty, which could rival any she-elf.

"You are in Middle Earth, my dear, close to the outskirts of the Shire to be exact. I have many names, but the one name I'm most commonly known as is Gandalf the Grey."

Yuna eyes narrowed as she tried to understand him. He had an odd way of speaking. "Gandalf the Grey," Yuna repeated, "I guess all the fighting that we did was for nothing. Do you fight for Cosmos as well?"

The old man's eye grew serious. "Fight? There is not fight hereabouts since the Dark Ages." He looked at her closely. "Since I have told you my name, I think it's fair that I should know yours, don't you think?"

"My name is Yuna."

Gandalf put the pipe back into his mouth and nodded. "And where are you from, Lady Yuna?"

Yuna looked down at the covers and drew a hand to her chest. "Well, it's a long story…"

"Surely not long enough for an old man?" Yuna looked up at him. He was smoking his pipe and looking at her with curious eyes. "You see, you appeared out of nowhere, my dear. And of course I could not stand leaving a young maiden out alone in the middle of nowhere—alone and unconscious, waiting to be hunted like a wounded deer."

Yuna's eyes widened. She quickly bowed her head. "I must thank you for taking care of me." She threw of the covers and hurried to take her staff. "I won't bother you any longer." She made a move to walk out the door, but the man's voice stopped her.

"And is this how you thank an old man for saving you?" his tone had a light tease to it.

"Oh!" She gasped and turned around with red cheeks, embarrassed. She remained standing. "How shall I pay you back, for saving my life?"

"Your payment, is telling this old wizard how on earth you appeared before me. I very much wish to know."

Yuna's eyes widened. "A…wizard?"

"You mean to tell me you've not any clue of what a wizard is?"

Yuna looked away. "We have…mages, where I come from." Gandalf gestured for her to take a seat in the chair next to him at the table. "Can you perform magic?"

"Yes, but many of my spells are too powerful for me to show you for any cause other than your amusement."

"Oh." Yuna gave a slight look of disappointment.

"I see you have a staff. Are you of the Istari? A witch?"

"Oh no," Yuna said quickly, "I'm a summoner."

"A summoner, you say?" Gandalf placed the pipe between his lips.

"Yes."

The wizard sucked on his pipe, thinking. "Where did you say you were from?"

So Yuna told him all about Spira, and how it was plagued by a huge monster known as Sin. She told him about summoners, Spira's "ray of light," and how their job was to go on a pilgrimage to seek the Final Aeon in order to defeat Sin. And upon defeating Sin, they bring the Calm, the time when Spira is free from Sin. The explanation of aeons took a little while, as the wizard had a hard time imagining how such creatures existed.

Then she explained the notion of Yu Yevon, and how Sin keeps returning because the people of Spira must repent for their sins, which led her to explain what machina were. The wizard's eyes grew wide and interested as she explained the objects run by electricity, or, lightning as Gandalf saw it. She began describing about her own pilgrimage, and how her father had defeated Sin before her and became High Summoner. She wanted to follow in his footsteps.

And then she told the wizard how she was taken from her world, to fight in an endless war—a war where she died many times, only to be brought back to life in the next cycle. She explained the tension between the Goddess of Harmony, Cosmos, and the God of Discord, Chaos. And then she told him how she and the rest of her friends decided to end everything once and for all, and described the last battle that took everyone's life.

"And then, I just showed up here, I guess," Yuna admitted. But she really didn't know how she wound up in Middle Earth.

Gandalf was smoking his pipe, deep in thought. The girl clearly wasn't a threat, and even if she was, she was at a disadvantage. He observed the girl.

"I don't know where I am, or where my friends are if they're even here," she said sadly. She clenched her hands around her staff. "I hope they're all right…"

Gandalf looked at her for a couple of minutes before taking his pipe out of his mouth. "That is…quite a story."

Her mismatched eyes met his, and Gandalf got a close up look of her face. "Oh, I hope you don't think I made this all up," she said with a pleading look, "It's the truth, really." She stood up from the table. "If you would like me to show you one of my aeons, I can."

Gandalf chuckled. "My dear, I did not say that I didn't believe you," he said with mirth. His face got a little more serious. "As far-fetched as your story sounds, I detect no lie from you."

"So…you believe mw?"

Gandalf stood up and walked over to a window. "Well, I didn't say that either." He put the pipe back in his mouth and started smoking. An idea formed in his head. He turned to face the young summoner and gestured with his pipe as he began to talk.

"How about this: Seeing as I cannot leave you here by yourself, in a world where you have no knowledge of, how about you accompany me on a little journey?"

Yuna's eyes widened. "A…journey?" She looked thoughtful for a moment. "But how will I get home?"

Gandalf chuckled. "Well, we certainly don't know how you came here, and I believe that it will take time to work that out. In the meantime, are you saying that you don't wish to accompany this poor old man?" he gestured to himself.

Yuna's cheeks turned red again. "No, no not at all," she shook her head furiously, "I would…be honored to join you."

Gandalf smiled. "So it is settled then. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

()()()()()()

That night, Yuna had a dream. A little boy dressed in purple garb appeared before her. His face was covered by the shadow of his hood.

It was the fayth of aeon, Bahamut.

Yuna gave him a small bow.

"It's been a while, Yuna," Bahamut spoke.

"I must thank you for the aeon."

Bahamut tiled his head as silence filled the air.

"Something troubles you," Bahamut observed.

"I…wish to know….why did I not return to Spira?" Yuna asked.

Bahamut tiled his head down to look at the ground, and was silent. His is silence was Yuna's answer. The fayth didn't know. They didn't know why Yuna was taken to fight for Cosmos either.

"I think I may have an answer," a melodious voice filled the air, "Though, I do not know how helpful it may be."

Bahamut and Yuna turned to see the bright figure of golden-haired woman dressed in white."

"Cosmos," Yuna breathed.

The Goddess smiled at Yuna. "Yes, Yuna, it is I, The Goddess of Harmony, Cosmos."

"But, but I saw you unconscious. How is it that you still live?"

Cosmos eyes filled with sadness. "Like you, everytime death meets me, I am brought back to life for the next cycle of war."

Yuna sighed. "So…so our efforts were futile…"

Cosmos only gave her a sad smile. "Please, do not blame yourself, Yuna. If anyone is to blame, it is me." Yuna looked up at her with surprise. "I should have done more," Cosmos explained, "I wanted to…to save you all from that nightmare." She shook her head sadly. "But what's done is done. I believe you wish to know why you were not taken back to your world."

Yuna nodded.

"To be honest, I don't really know either. When I brought you and the others to my world, it was by my own power that you came. However, the power that took you back was not mine."

"So someone else returned Yuna to her world?" Bahamut asked.

"Attempted to," Cosmos corrected, "The only reason why I am able to contact you now is because I felt your presence. Had you returned home, I would have not been able to."

"But…who?" Yuna asked, "It couldn't have been Chaos."

"No, no it was not Chaos," Cosmos shook her head, "If I had to guess, it would be Shinryu."

"Shinryu?"

"Shinyru is another God from my world. He does not fight, not for Chaos, not for me. He is neutral. He is the reason why you all were brought back to life during each cycle."

Yuna's eyes widened. So that's why they kept coming back, why they kept returning to fight.

Cosmos eyes narrowed. "After you and the others used all your powers to close the gate to the Rift, Shinryu decided to dispose you, and return you to your worlds. I suspect that something went disarray when he attempted to do so."

"So, I'm in a different world, by mistake?" Yuna asked carefully.

The Goddess of Harmony nodded.

"So then will I get back home?" Yuna asked.

"By finding this Shinryu god, right?" Bahamut suggested, "After all, he got her into this world, he can get her out, right?"

"I'm afraid it is not that easy," Cosmos said, "Shinryu remains in my world."

"Then how will I get home!"

"Please remain calm, Yuna," Cosmos said gently, "When Shinryu placed you in my world, he did so with a purpose. The only way you could get home was either finding your crystal and defeating Chaos, or using up all your power."

"And we chose the latter," Yuna murmured, "Because we didn't have any choice."

Cosmos nodded, with a sad smile. "I'm so sorry, Yuna. This is all my fault."

Yuna shook her head. "No, you were only doing what you thought was best for us," she smiled, "So if Shinryu placed me in your world with a purpose, then I must have a purpose here too, right?"

"That is correct, although I don't know how strong that purpose is since he did not plan for you to come here," Cosmos admitted.

Yuna thought for a moment, and Cosmos read her mind.

"If Yuna used her power the last time, can she do it again?" Bahamut asked.

"You no longer fight in an endless war, Yuna. That trick worked in my world, but I do not think it will work in this world," Cosmos explained, "You do not have Shinryu's power to revive you if you fall."

"Then what must I do?"

"That, I do not know," Cosmos said, "I will give you this advice: fight for the light."

"But I thought you said—"

"There must be some sort of problem in this world, and you will have to learn what that problem is and solve it," Cosmos said, "My advice, fight for the light, is the only advice I can give you." The Goddess began to fade, and she began to look worn out.

"Wait! What's happening?" Yuna cried.

"My…my powers," Cosmos panted, "I used most of my strength to protect the Warrior of Light rom the wave of manikins that came to the Sanctuary. I am left weakened. I must leave you, for now."

Yuna wanted to protest, but she knew that she had to do this herself.

"Wait!" Yuna begged, "The others…what of them?"

Cosmos looked at her. "The others have not returned to their homes either, but I can not tell you if they were taken to the same world as you. You will have to find out for yourself." The goddess became translucent. "Good bye, for now."

Yuna was overwhelmed.

"How will I do this? This is nothing compared to the pilgrimage," she murmured, "At least with the pilgrimage I knew what I was doing, I knew what to do. But now…"

"Don't worry, Yuna," Bahamut said as he walked up to her, "You have that grey old man who can help you. And you will have the aid of the fayths as well. You're still a summoner, who hasn't completed her pilgrimage. Whenever you are in need, you can always call the aeons." And he disappeared as well, leaving Yuna by herself.

"I just wish…I wasn't alone," Yuna whispered and wrapped her arms around herself, "I wish you were here…"

_Tidus…._

()()()()()()

The Sun came bright and early, rudely awakening the summoner. She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. She looked around. She was in the same room. It wasn't a dream.

She then noticed that Gandalf the Grey wasn't in the room, which had been tidied up. She got out of bed and smoothed out her blue skirt. She looked in a mirror on a dresser and quickly fixed her hair, which looked like a chocobo's nest.

"Ah, good you're up," a rough voice startled her.

She turned around to see the grey robed wizard smiling at her form the doorway. His grey pointed hat was on his head, and his staff was in his hand. She smiled back at him.

"I'm in a bit of a rush, so you'll have to eat breakfast during our journey to our next destination," he apologized.

"Oh, it's okay." Yuna quickly went to grab her staff. Checking herself in the mirror one more time, she turned and followed Gandalf out of the inn.

When they were outside, she was surprised to find a wagon drawn by a weird creature. It had four long, muscular legs, a long body, and a head with a somewhat long muzzle. It reminded Yuna of Ixion, her lightning–based aeon she received in Djose Temple.

"That creature kind of looks like one of my aeons," she commented.

Gandalf looked at his horse. "Oh, this horse?"

"A…horse?"

Gandalf chuckled as he went to make sure everything was in the wagon. "You mean to tell me, that you've never seen a horse before?"

Yuna shook her head. "Spira has no…horses." The word was foreign on her tongue.

"How on earth did you make these pilgrimages? Wasn't there any source of transportation?"

Yuna giggled. "Well, besides machina, we do have these big yellow birds called chocobo's."

"And what, dear one, is a chocobo?"

Yuna reached out to stroke the horse on its forehead. It gave a gentle nicker of appreciation. "Chocobos are these huge yellow birds that you can ride on. They have long legs that can allow them to run like wind."

"Fascinating." Gandalf hoisted himself in the front seat of the wagon. He then turned around to help Yuna in the wagon. They both sat down, and Gandalf took the reins. He clicked his tongue and the horse began to walk.

"And do these big yellow birds fly?" he asked.

The question caused Yuna to laugh out loud, and Gandalf found himself chuckling along with her. She was so young, innocent, carefree. He started to think back to his younger days when he had those luxuries…

"Not very well," she admitted as she tried to catch her breath, "They can only fly short distances, and not very high either."

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you, Yuna, daughter of Braska?"

Yuna was caught off guard for a moment. "I am 17 years old. And please, no formalities. Call me Yuna."

"Quite young to be a summoner out to vanquish this monstrous Sin of yours," he commented.

"There are summoners who are only a couple years older than me. 17 years, while it may seem young, is actually the common age in which apprentice summoners complete their training," Yuna stated.

Gandalf shook his head. _'Young people these days…they should just be carefree while they still can,' _he thought.

They were silent for a few moments, and Yuna's stomach growled. She gave a nervous laugh and covered her stomach. "I'm sorry," she began.

"No worries, young one," Gandalf reached in the back and pulled out a small pouch. He handed it to Yuna. In it was a piece of bread, a chunk of cheese, and some dried meat. There was also an apple in it as well.

"I told you that you would eat during our trip."

Yuna thanked the old man and dug in. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten. Sure, they had small stops on her pilgrimage, but the war between Cosmos and Chaos prevented her and the others from resting.

"So, where are we going?" she asked between bites of food. She observed the scenery: lush trees and vegetation grew around them, the sun was bright and the sky had no trace of clouds. It was a beautiful day.

"To the Shire—the home of hobbits."

"Hobbits?"

"Halfings. "Little People" who enjoy gardening, drinking, and having a joyful time altogether. Very peaceful."

"It sounds wonderful."

"I'm there to visit an old friend," Gandalf said, "He will be celebrating his eleventy first birthday."

Yuna figured out that "eleventy first" mean one hundred and eleven.

"They live to be that old?" Yuna gasped.

Gandalf gave her an amused look.

"I'm sorry," she said, "It's just that, it would take a miracle for a person in Spira to reach even thirty years."

"All because of Sin?"

Yuna looked at her hands in her lap. "Well, Spira is also plagued by monsters known as fiends. They're the spirits of the dead who do not accept their death, and turn into beasts that prey on the living."

"Oh my. A grave thing indeed."

"Unless given a proper sending, or if the person accepts death, these spirits are bound to become fiends," Yuna continued, "Summoners have the power to send spirits to the Farplane, a place of rest, where they may rest in peace."

"The only thing you'll encounter here are orcs, trolls, and goblins. Filthy, ugly, creatures that use to work for the dark lord Sauron."

"Dark Lord?" Yuna repeated. _'Could this be the problem Cosmos was referring to?'_

And so, Gandalf began to tell Yuna the time of the Dark Ages. He told her about the Rings: three given to the elves, seven given to the dwarfs, and nine given to Men. And then one ring, which was created to control all the other rings, was creating, was kept by Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor. He went in great detail the horrors and battles that the dark lord caused.

And then he mentioned about Isildur, the one who had defeated Sauron.

"So, where is the ring now?" Yuna asked.

"No one knows," Gandalf said, "But its nothing to worry about."

They stopped for a quick break.

"Time to stretch and rattle these old bones of mine," Gandalf said as he got out of the wagon and helped Yuna down.

He took a couple of steps. "How about you show me these…aeons of yours?"

"Right now?"

"Why not? You've got plenty of room, and we're still a ways from Hobbiton, no one will notice."

Yuna gave the old wizard an uncertain look. "Um…okay." She stepped out, putting some distance between her and the wagon. She raised her staff, vertically, with both hands, and brought it down to her sternum. She flung her arms out to the side, her head looking up at the sky, and four small green orbs appeared around her before fading. She then took a step back with her right foot, and spread her arms out (like a warriors pose in yoga), the staff in her right hand.

Gandalf watched with interest.

A strange glow emitted from the summoner, and a huge symbol appeared on the ground beneath her. Different colored light danced around her, and four beams of light shot up into the sky. They spiraled together, and burst into a large halo like shape. A rainbow ring flashed, with bright flash of light within the circle, and a big bulky figure shot out from the light. It opened its wings to reveal a phoenix like creature.

"How interesting," Gandalf breathed.

It landed on the ground before Yuna, sending up dirt and bits of the ground as it stopped. The horse stomped its foot and whinnied in fear and surprise at the creature. Yuna walked up to the aeon and gently scratched its neck, and the aeon crooned.

"This is Valefor, my very first aeon I had received," Yuna explained.

"Is it a phoenix?" Gandalf asked as he walked closer with curious eyes. Valefor looked back at Gandalf with a curious look of its own. "He's not dangerous is he?"

"Oh no," Yuna shook her head, "In fact, she's the gentlest one out of all of them."

"She?"

Yuna stopped petting Valefor, and since the aeon was not need, it shot up in the air and took off. "The spirit of Valefor is a little girl and her dog. They gave their lives up to become the fayth who grant us these aeons," she explained.

"Amazing. Simply Amazing. Are there others as well?"

Yuna smiled. "Yes, but I'd rather summon them if we were in a battle. They don't like being summoned without a good reason."

He took a deep sigh. "Well, I guess we better get a move on then. We want to make it to the Shire before dark."

So back on the road they went. The rest of the trip there Gandalf told Yuna about the race of elves, dwarfs, ents, and the generality of each race. When the scene around them seem to be the greenest it had ever been, Gandalf smiled.

"We're almost there, to Hobbiton" he said, and began to sing a little tune. There were on a small dirt road, tress on both sides of them.

"The road goes on and ever on.

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the road has gone,

And I must follow if I can…"

Yuna closed her eyes, enjoying the tune. The song had a different feel compared to the Hymn of the Fayth. It was more serene, joyful, and carefree; instead of old, serious, and ancient. She was shaken out of her thoughts by a young man's voice.

"You're late."

Yuna looked up to see a small man standing on a short ledge above them. She gasped.

Gandalf stopped the wagon and looked up at the hobbit with a serious expression. "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives _precisely_ when he means to." The two had a staring contest before Gandalf broke into laughter, Frodo joining.

The hobbit jumped into the back of the wagon and gave a hug to the wizard. "It's wonderful to see you, Gandalf!"

The old wizard chuckled. "Ooh, you didn't think I'd miss your Uncle Bilbo's birthday did you?"

Frodo smiled, and then noticed Yuna. "Oh, are you a friend of Gandalf's?" he asked her. Her clothing didn't seem to affect him. His eyes widened as he saw her blue and green eye. "Y-you're eyes…" he began. Yuna tiled her head.

"They're beautiful."

And for the third time since she had arrived in Middle Earth, Yuna's cheeks turned a shade of pink. "Oh…thank you."

"No, they really are. They remind me of the Shire: your blue eye reminds me of the blue skies while the green one reminds me of all the plants," Frodo reassured her.

"Frodo, this is Yuna. She is my companion," Gandalf explained, giving a wink to Yuna.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Yuna," Frodo said as he stuck out his hand. "I'm Frodo Baggins."

Yuna shyly shook the hobbit's hand. Gandalf clicked his tongue and the horse started walking.

"So, how is the old rascal? I hear it's going to be a part of special magnificence," Gandalf said to Frodo."

"You know Bilbo," Frodo said with a smile, "He's got the whole place in an uproar."

"That should keep him pleased," Gandalf chuckled.

"Half the Shire's been invited," Frodo continued, "And the rest of them are turning up anyway."

Both the wizard and the hobbit laughed. Yuna smiled as she witnessed the exchange between the two. It suddenly reminded her of her own relationships with people. Wakka. Lulu. Kimahri. Everyone back at Spira. Lightning. Laguna. Everyone back in Cosmos's world. Yuna felt a strong desire within her grow.

"To tell you the truth," Frodo began, "Bilbo's been a little bit odd lately. I mean, more than usual." His face was crossed with worry.

Gandalf hummed in thought. Yuna's ears perked up at the conversation.

Frodo continued, "He's taken to locking himself in his study. He spends hours and hours pouring over old maps when he thinks I'm not looking." He looked into the distance of Hobbiton. "He's up to the something."

Frodo looked at Gandalf with a questioning look, Yuna doing the same. But the old wizard just stared at the scenery in front of him, deliberately. He had his pipe in his mouth

Frodo smirked. "Alright, keep your secrets then."

"Hrrrrmph," came the reply and Yuna giggled.

"But I know you have something to do with it," Frodo teased.

"Goodness gracious. Me?"

"Before you came along, we Bagginses were very well thought of."

"Indeed?"

"Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected."

Gandalf took the pipe out of his mouth. "If you're referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door."

Yuna smiled while Frodo laughed.

"Whatever you did, you've been officially labeled as the 'disturber of peace'," Frodo stated matter-of-fact.

"Oh really?"

They start to get into the hard of Hobbiton. Many hobbit children came running as they heard Gandalf come. The all screamed for fireworks. The wagon passed by a hobbit home with a grumpy old man raking some leaves. His wife, who came out to see what the children were yelling at, soon accompanied him. She gave a disapproving look to Gandalf. The children kept screaming for fireworks from the wizard, but Gandalf paid no heed to them.

"Awwwww…." Came from the children as they were ignored.

Suddenly, fireworks emerged from the back of the wagon and children screamed for joy, jumping and running after the sparks. Frodo smiled at Gandalf who began to laugh. The old hobbit began to chuckle, but quickly became grumpy again after the look on his wife's face.

Yuna was just awed by everything. The town was beautiful, and everyone was so joyful and happy. It seemed like the complete opposite of Spira.

Frodo sighed. He turned to Yuna. "It was nice meeting you Miss Yuna." Yuna smiled at him.

"I'm glad you're back Gandalf," the young hobbit said before leaping off the wagon.

"So am I, dear boy!…So am I"

**A/N**: I might end up re-editing this…but at least it's out there. Review, favorite/alert list. You know the drill :D


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I do not own Dissidia or Lord of the Rings. And I lied about making a Dissidia/Kingdom Hearts fanfic. It seemed like a good idea, but I think I have enough on my plate…don't you? :P

A huge thanks to Lord Lithros Maitreya my Beta!

Dragon Naruto – thanks for reviewing, because of you, I've managed to pause my updates with my FFX/Naruto fic. And also, thank you for being patient, I know you were very adamant about me updating this fic.

Wal Otter – thanks for the review! But if it weren't for my beta, Gandalf wouldn't be talking correctly.

Joon the Ninja – Well, people have different preferences and styles of writing,…but we'll see after a few more updates :) Thanks for reviewing!

Everyon else – thanks for the review! And thank you for being patient with me!

**Chapter 2**

Gandalf stopped the wagon at a little burrow, or what looked like a burrow to Yuna. There was a green hill, but the front had a door, as if it were an entrance to a tunnel. Around the door were various colored plants. Yuna followed the grey wizard to the front door. He used his wooden staff to knock. Yelling, was the reply.

"No thank you! We don't want anymore visitors, well wishers, or distant relatives!"

Yuna looked questioningly at Gandalf who began to chuckle. "And what about very old friends?" he called back. Slowly, the door opened, as if preparing for an attack. Yuna saw grey tufts of hair as a slightly wrinkled head peered from behind the door. The first thing the hobbit saw was the tall wizard, and the Halfling swung the door wide opened.

"My dear Gandalf!" the hobbit cried as he walked towards Gandalf with open arms. The grey wizard had to kneel in order to accommodate height levels, and hugged his old friend. The image brought a warm smile to the summoner's face.

"It's good to see you. One hundred and eleven years old, who would believe it?" Gandalf said as they pulled back. He took a closer look at the hobbit, his eyes filled with disbelief. "You haven't aged a day." The hobbit just looked at Gandalf with pure happiness, excited to see the one person, wizard, who had given him the best years of his life.

His eyes suddenly moved over to Yuna, who smiled and gave a small bow, and straightened up. "Oh, where are my manners," he muttered, "My dear, I am Bilbo Baggins." He hurried over to her and presented his hand. Yuna looked at the hand for a moment, and gingerly placed hers within his. She was startled as the old hobbit placed a gentle kiss upon her knuckles. He looked back up at her, interested in her eye colors.

"Please to meet you, I-I'm Yuna," she spoke.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he said, eyes a bit dazed. Yuna shifted her weight back and forth from each foot, uncomfortable by the look the short hobbit was giving her. "Forgive me for admiring your beauty, but are you an elf, perhaps?" Bilbo asked, "The elves are known for their ethereal beauty."

Taken aback by the compliment, Yuna stuttered to find words.

"No, Bilbo, she is not an elf. In fact, she is something quite new to all of us," Gandalf cut in, "But of course, we are not here because of _her_, we are here because of _you_ and your one hundred and eleventh birthday."

Bilbo's eyes lit up, and he quickly hurried back into his hole, leaving the door open. "Of course! Come, on! Come, in! Welcome, welcome!" his voice was heard. Yuna gave a questioning look at Gandalf, who gave her a warm smile before gesturing her to go in.

While the summoner wasn't as tall as the grey wizard, she still had to duck in order to avoid bumping her head on the low ceiling. She felt Gandalf come in behind her, and shut the door. Gandalf took off his hat with one hand, while the other held his staff. He noticed that Yuna's staff wasn't with her. "My dear, where is your staff?" he asked her.

"Oh, when I have no use for it, it disappears," she answered. She closed her eyes and stuck out her hand. The staff magically formed in her grasp. "All I have to do is call upon it, and it will appear." The wizard hummed with interest.

Bilbo suddenly appeared again. He walked up to Gandalf, and the wizard gave him his hat and staff; Yuna gave him her staff as well. The hobbit placed the hat on a hat stand, and the staffs up against the wall. He began to walk to a different room. "Tea, or maybe something a little stronger? I've got a few bottles of the Old Winyard left, 1296, a very good year. Almost as old as I am!" he called back to the pair. The two heard the sound of rustling papers.

"Just tea, thank you," Gandalf answered. He then took a step back, crashing into a chandelier. Steadying the hanging ornament, he ducked under it, only to hit his head on the top of the doorjamb. He gave a small grunt of pain, and then chuckled.

"Sir Gandalf, are you all right?" Yuna came rushing to his side, careful to avoid the chandelier. She put a gentle hand on his arm, looking his face over for any injury.

"Oh, don't worry about an old man like me. I always forget how small these hobbit holes can be," he reassured her with a warm smile, and patted her hand.

Yuna took the time to observe the home. It was small, cozy, and had an earthy feel to it: almost everything was made out of wood. There was a parlor with a fireplace. A small smile lit her face. While the place felt homey to her, she couldn't help but wonder if there were any machina around. Everything seemed old fashion, and not a trace of machinery was around. She followed Gandalf into the parlor where there was a table. It was littered with papers

"I was expecting you sometime last week," Bilbo called out to them, "Not that it matters; you can come and go as you please. Always have done, and always will." There was a pause. "You've caught me a bit unprepared, I'm afraid. Urm, we've only got cold chicken and a bit of pickle...oh and there's some cheese here—oh no that won't do! Urm…we've got raspberry jam, an apple tart…" he trailed off.

Yuna watched as Gandalf walked over to the table and picked up a piece of paper that looked like a map. Gandalf beckoned her to come over, and she did. He placed the paper between them and pointed to a spot on the map that looked like a mountain. A creature was drawn on top of it.

"This here is the Lonely Mountains," he explained to her, "And that beastly creature on top of it, is Smaug the Dragon." Yuna observed the pictures with interest. "But I'm afraid those stories will have to be for another time," he said as he walked to a different room. Yuna turned around to lean against the table, her gaze upon the fire.

Bilbo walked into the parlor with a plate of cheese. "I can make you some eggs if you lik—oh…" he noticed that it was only Yuna. He smiled upon seeing her, and then looked around the room. "Gandalf?"

"Just tea, thank you."

Bilbo gave a slight jumped and quickly turned around to see Gandalf. "Oh…right," Bilbo said with a smile. He put some of the cheese in his mouth. "You don't mind if I do, do you?" he mumbled with his mouth full.

"Oh no, not at all!" was the hearty reply.

A hard knock at the door startled Yuna.

"Bilbo! Bilbo Baggins!" It was a woman's voice.

Another knock was given and Bilbo hurled himself back against a wall. "I'm not at home!" he furiously whispered to the two. Yuna gave a small laugh as he sidled up to a window, but made sure to stay hidden. "It's the Sackville-Bagginses!"

"I know you're there!" the woman outside shouted.

"What do they want?" Yuna asked.

"They're after the house," Bilbo said as he tip-toed up to Gandalf, "They've never forgiven me for living this long. I've got to get away from these confounded relatives hanging on the ball all day, never giving me a moment's peace." He looked out the kitchen window. "I want to see mountains again, mountains Gandalf," he said as he turned around. When Gandalf made a move to sit down at the low table, Yuna followed. "And then somewhere quiet where I can finish my book—oh, tea!" The hobbit quickly went over to a kettle that was hovering over a fire.

Gandalf stroked his grey beard, absentmindedly. "So you mean to go through with your plan then?"

Bilbo got a pot, and placed it on the table. He then retrieved two teacups. "Yes, yes, it's all in hand. The arrangements are made." He went back to the table with the kettle. He made a move to pour the water into the pot, and Gandalf lifted the lid. "Oh, thank you."

"Frodo suspects something," the grey wizard told him. He had a serious look on his face.

Bilbo looked insulted. "Of course he is, he's a Baggins, not some blockheaded Bracegirdle from Hardbottle." Yuna surpressed a giggle as the hobbit placed the kettle back over the fire.

Gandalf eyed him. "You will tell him, won't you?"

"Yes, yes," the old hobbit waved him off.

"He's very fond of you."

Bilbo stopped what he was doing and sighed, "I know. He'd probably come with me if I'd ask him to. I think in his heart, Frodo's still in love with the Shire, the woods, the fields, and the little rivers." His face turned nervous. "I am old, Gandalf. I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart."

Gandalf watched as the hobbit slipped his fingers in his waistcoat pocket, as if he were checking something, but ended up only patting the pocket. Yuna felt goose bumps appear on her arm as she felt the air change.

"I feel thin, sort of stretched like butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday, a very long holiday. And I don't expect that I shall return. In fact," Bilbo's face turned dark, "I mean not to."

By this time the sun was beginning to set, and Yuna had told the pair that she was tired and wished to rest before the big party. Bilbo showed her the guest room, where there was a normal size bed. Bilbo chuckled at Yuna's surprised expression.

"I kept this bed for that old wizard, always coming and going as he pleases," he explained. Yuna walked over to the bed and gingerly sat on it. "Would you like me to come wake you up when the party begins?" he asked her.

Yuna nodded. "Yes, that would be nice."

"Alright then. You just have a nice rest. I can imagine how tired you must feel. After all, it's you're first time in the Shire! Oh, and let's not forget about the party, you must rest so that you can enjoy it," Bilbo said as he moved to walk out the door, and placed his hand on the doorknob. "Oh, and it was a pleasure to meet you, my dear," Bilbo said as he flashed her a smile, before closing the door.

Yuna was still for a moment, before letting her upper torso fall on the bed, arms wide out. She looked at the wooden ceiling. The Shire was such a strange place, and it was odd for her to be around people so happy, joyful, with no worries. It all seemed like a dream to her, a place without the fear of Sin. But one thing worried her; she just couldn't shake off the feeling that something important was going to happen. It was going to happen tonight.

"At least…at least I have Gandalf," she murmured before curling up and shutting her eyes.

()()()()()()

Cosmos came to her dreams again.

"It is time for the 13th cycle to begin. My group of warriors that Kain rendered unconscious have awakened," she said to Yuna.

"Did our efforts prove helpful?" Yuna asked hopefully. Bu Cosmos shook her head.

"I believe that the number of manikins have greatly decreased since the gate to the Rift has been closed. However, it is…too soon to tell."

Yuna looked a little crestfallen. She looked away from Cosmos, thinking for a moment, before turning back to her. "Have you figured out if the others are here in this world?"

The Goddess of Harmony gave her a blank look, before closing her eyes. "My powers are still to weak to search for them. I am resting as we speak," she explained and opened her eyes, "But, I have no doubt that they might be in this world. After all, you all left at the same time, and Shinryu had to take you all at once."

Hope filled Yuna's eyes. "So…there is a chance that Lightning and the others are here? And alive?" Cosmos gave her a small smile, and nodded. Yuna clapped her hands together. "This is wonderful!" she exclaimed. Her eyes turned sad for a moment, and she looked at Cosmos.

The goddess understood the meaning. "Please don't worry about the other remaining warriors. Tidus is one of my warriors now. He is alive and safe," she reassured the girl, "But unfortunately, Jecht has been infused with the powers of darkness. He is now a warrior of Chaos."

"Sir Jecht?" Yuna felt guilty. "This is all my fault," she said sadly, "If I hadn't gone running after Tidus, when he was Chaos's warrior, Sir Jecht wouldn't be in that position in the first place!" Her mismatched eyes started to gloss over with tears.

Cosmos gave the girl a sad smile. "Yes, but it was Jecht's choice to give up his light for Tidus, in order to save him. He did it for Tidus. What happened to him was not your fault," she consoled the girl, "But the conditions have changed and you need to focus on the task at hand."

Like she had practiced, Yuna forced a smile on her face. She must stay strong if she had any chance of going home. She must be strong, if not for anyone, then for herself. She must continue her journey in this world, and fight for the light.

"I understand. Thank you, Cosmos."

()()()()()()

The sun was just giving its last peak through the trees. Gandalf and Bilbo were sitting on a bench outside their house, smoking their pipes. They watched as the party down below was beginning to start, lights were lit and the chatter of the joyful hobbits was heard.

Bilbo took a deep drag from the pipe and leaned over to the grey wizard. "Old Toby, the finest weed in the Southfarthing," he said with a smile. He took another drag, and this time, blew a small smoke wing that got bigger and bigger as it floated away. Gandalf took a drag of his own pipe, and puffed out a ship that went through the center of Bilbo's smoke ring.

Bilbo watched in fascination and nostalgia on his face. "Gandalf my old friend," he said as he put his pipe between his teeth, "this…will be a night to remember."

They both got up and were about to leave until Bilbo remembered Yuna. "Oh goodness! I've almost forgotten to awaken Yuna," he scrambled to the front door of his hobbit hole. "

"Oh, don't worry about her, I'll do it, "Gandalf offered as he followed the hobbit to the door, "It _is _your birthday after all." He shooed Bilbo away from the door "Go, go on now and don't worry about a thing. I'll make sure she's down there."

"Don't forget about the fireworks," Bilbo reminded him as he allowed the tall wizard to push him, "You know how I love your fireworks."

"Yes, yes of course. I'll be there," Gandalf said as he headed in the hobbit hole.

It took him a little while to find the room, it seemed that his mind was a lot older than he thought. He chuckled to himself. Old wizard, indeed. He gently rapped his knuckles on the door, and hearing no response, he slowly opened the door.

Yuna was laying on a bed, which happened to look very familiar to the old wizard. He watched as her body moved with each breath she took. Her breathing was soft, and she looked so peaceful. He continued to observe her, recalling the tale she told him about where she came from. His brow furrowed as he realized that she didn't exactly tell him _how _she came to Middle Earth, nor did she explain the war with…what did she say…Cosmos? Just who exactly was this Cosmos?

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He would have plenty of time to ask her later. Now, it was a time for a celebration.

He walked over to the edge of the bed, and leaned over. He cleared his throat. "Lady Yuna," his rough voice gently called her. Yuna stirred, giving a small whimper. She took a deep breath, and opened an eye to reveal a green iris. Closing the eye, she reached her arms up above her head and stretched before sitting up.

"Is it time already?" she asked as she covered her mouth to conceal her yawn.

"Oh, you wouldn't want to miss a party like this now would you?" Gandalf told her as he led her to the outdoors; the night was lit with small bonfires that were lit.

Yuna watched in awe and delight as a huge firework exploded in the night sky over the party tree, from which a sign saying "Happy Birthday Bilbo" was hung. Merry music was playing, and many hobbits were dancing and clapping. She observed a huge birthday cake being carried across the field above the heads of the hobbits.

Not too far away, Frodo was having fun dancing. Bilbo was busy welcoming all of his guests.

"Hello, hello Fatty Bolger," he greeted and shook the other hobbits hand, "Lovely to see you, welcome, welcome!" He inhaled deeply as he got ready for the next wave.

Finished with dancing at the moment, Frodo plopped himself next to Sam, who was eyeing a pretty female hobbit by the name of Rosie Cotton. Frodo seemed to notice.

"Go on Sam, ask Rosie for a dance."

Sam contemplated for a moment. "Ah, I think I'll just have another ale," he said as he started to get up and walk away.

But Frodo was having none of it. He grabbed his friend by the arms. "Oh no, you don't." And then, when Rosie happened to dance close to the pair, shoved the other hobbit in her path. "Go on!" Sam stumbled to get his footing as Rosie took his hands and continued to dance. Frodo laughed.

Yuna was surrounded by some young, handsome hobbits who were trying to get her to dance with them. Politely declining them, she just clapped along with the music as they settled to see who was the better dancer among them.

Gandalf unleashed another firework, before going off and dancing.

Nearby, Bilbo had managed to greet each guest, and had settled down next to a small group of hobbit children. He was telling his tales with Gandalf and the dwarfs. The children's eyes were wide as they listened intently.

"So there I was at the mercy of three monstrous trolls, and they were all arguing amongst themselves about how they were going to cook us. Whether it be turned on a spit or whether they should sit on us one by one and squash us into jelly," Bilbo said with much emotion. The children gasped. "They spent so much time arguing the witherto's and whyfor's that the sun's first light cracked open over the top of the tress. POOF!"

The children jump.

"…and turned them all to stone!" Bilbo finished, his eyes wide and intense.

Gandalf, on his way to get some more fireworks, happened to walk by Yuna. "Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked her.

Yuna's mismatched eyes glittered with delight. "I am," she said, "This is a wonderful party! Almost nothing compared to what we have back in Spira." Her eyes turned sad as she thought of home.

Gently patting her on her shoulder, the old wizard gave her a gruff smile. "Do not look so troubled. Everything in Middle Earth has its place, and you will soon find yours." He continued on his path to the cart, and upon picking up a bundle, began laughing.

As he turned away, one particular hobbit appeared around the side of the cart. Making sure the wizard was gone, he turned around to face a tent that was next to the cart, and gave it a swift tap. A figure fumbled its way out to reveal another hobbit. These two were known as the pair of misfits of Hobbiton, Merry and Pippin.

"Quickly," Merry said to his partner-in-crime, as he gave the other hobbit a leg-up into the cart.

Somewhere, the delightful screams and laugh of hobbit children filled the air. Gandalf had just let off a stream of fireworks that were hundreds of glowing butterflies, amongst a group of children.

Pippin picked up a somewhat normal sized firework and showed it to Merry for approval.

"No, no! The big one! _Big _one!" Merry hissed, making sure no one was coming.

Pippin fumbled around a bit more and finally saw what Merry had wanted. It was an enormous firework that had the shape of a dragon's head. Grinning, he showed it to Merry whose eyes widened. Taking that as a seal of approval, Pippin jumped down from the cart and ran into the tent, while Merry nonchalantly took a bite of an apple before following.

Bilbo, who was forced back into greetings, was talking to a female hobbit with many children. "Mrs. Bracegirdle, how nice to see you. Welcome, welcome. Are all these children yours?"

"Yeah," the female hobbit nodded, shifting her current youngest child in her arms. She began to walk past Bilbo, children in tow.

"Good gracious, you have been productive!" Bilbo murmured to himself, his eyes wide as he saw the group of children walk past him. A strange feeling overcame him, and he suddenly panicked as his ears began to twitch. Turning around and finding a place to hide, he ran in Frodo. "Sackville-Bagginses!" he hissed to the boy, pointing to his twitching ears, "Quickly! Hide!"

Frodo frantically looked for a place for he and his uncle to hide, settling for the side of a tent. The Sackville-Baggins walked right up next to the tent, not seeing them. Upon not finding them, they quickly turned around, and walked away. Bilbo let out a huge sigh.

"Oh, thank you, my boy," he said tiredly, "You're a good lad, Frodo." His face suddenly went odd. "I'm…very selfish, you know." Frodo gave him a confused look, wondering what would make his uncle say such a thing. "Yes I am," Bilbo insisted, "I don't know why I took you in after your mother and father died, but it wasn't out of charity. I think it was because, of all my numerous relations, you were the one Baggins that showed real spirit."

Frodo gave his uncle a suspicious look, "Bilbo, have you been at the Gaffers homebrew?"

The elder Baggins gave him an innocent look. "No. Well, yes, but that's not the point. The point is, Frodo…" he stopped himself. Thinking for a moment, he nodded his head absentmindedly. "You'll be alright," he murmured as he took a bear and took a drink. Frodo gave him a confused, yet concerned look.

"Where is Yuna? I haven't seen that girl at all since the party's started. Why don't you look for her and ask her for a dance, my boy?" Bilbo suggested to Frodo, "Go on, go on." He shooed Frodo away, who gave him one last look, before looking for the summoner.

Back with the pair of misfits, Pippin had just lit the firework.

"Done!" he said, pushing the firework towards Merry.

Merry, realizing the situation, quickly passed it back to Pippin. "You're suppose to stick it in the ground!"

And so the game of pass-the-firework, began.

"It _is_ in the ground!"

"Outside!"

"It was your idea!"

Suddenly, the firework took off, taking the tent with it. The force caused the two to fall on the ground, their faces covered in soot and their hair standing on end.

All the hobbits gasped as they watched the firework race into the sky. They cheered as it lit up the sky and a dragon face develop, along with wings and a body. The cheering stopped as they realized that it was coming towards them. Pushing and shoving each other out of the way, the hobbits ran for cover.

Frodo had found Yuna, still surrounded by Hobbiton's bachelors, and offered her a dance. To all their surprise, she accepted, and allowed Frodo to lead her out. Just when he got Yuna to start dancing, as she was too shy and too embarrassed by their height difference, he noticed the dragon in the sky.

"What is that?" Yuna gasped.

Frodo quickly disappeared from her side, looking for his uncle. "Bilbo! Bilbo!" he shouted, "Watch out for the dragon." When he finally found the older hobbit, he began to lead him away and push him to the ground.

"Dragon! Nonsense, there hasn't been a dragon in these parts for a thousand years!" he said as he allowed himself to be on the ground.

Looking up, he found Yuna running alongside a few other hobbits. Realizing she burnt to a crisp if she didn't get down, he sprinted towards her and tackled her to the ground just as the dragon swooped down on them.

The dragon flew over everyone, and across the lake where it exploded into smaller fireworks. Seeing the display, the hobbits all cheered. Yuna, who was slightly in pain, looked down to see Frodo on top of her, his arms wrapped around her waist. His blue eyes looked up to meet her mismatched ones.

"Oh!" He hastily got up, pulling her up as well, "I'm so sorry Miss Yuna."

"It's all right. If you hadn't pushed me down…" she blushed, embarrassed.

Seeing everyone return to the party, dancing, singing, having a merry time, Frodo offered his hand. "Shall we continue our dance?" Smiling, Yuna accepted.

Merry and Pippin, who had stood up, smiled and nodded appreciatively. It had been a success.

"That's was good," Merry said.

"Let's get another one!" Pippin agreed.

But before either of them could move, a hand grabbed their ears. Yelping in pain, they looked up to see the face of the owner of the fireworks.

"Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took!" Gandalf said, looking at them sternly, "I might have known!" The two waited for the worst to happen.

Dish-cleaning duty.

The party had settled down quite a bit, everyone full and ready for a nap. One hobbit hollered for a speech, and suddenly, everyone started yelling.

"Speech, Bilbo!"

Frodo joined in. "Speech!" He turned and smiled at Yuna, who was sitting beside him.

Sighing with reluctance, Bilbo walked stood up and walked over to a barrel. Standing up on it, he looked at everyone who attended, and then over at the enormous cake that had one-hundred and eleven lit candles.

"My dear Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bulgers, Bracegirdles, and Proudfoots…"

"Proudfeet!" one of the Proudfoot hobbits corrected.

Ignoring the comment, Bilbo continued, "Today is my One Hundred and Eleventh birthday."

"Happy Birthday!" the crowd cheered as they raised their glasses.

"Alas," Bilbo went on, "eleventy-one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits. I don't know half of you half as well I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

The old hobbit received some confused looks, while Gandalf's mouth cured upward in a smirk. Bilbo suddenly turned odd.

"I…er…" he reached a hand to his vest pocket, "I have…things to do." He hesitated, putting the hand in the pocket. Although the other hobbits didn't notice his change in attitude, Frodo and Gandalf did, and they started to watch him very closely. Yuna tilted her head, wondering what the confusion was about, and why Bilbo was so serious. Taking something out of the pocket, Bilbo hid the hand behind his back. "I've put this off for far too long. I regret to announce, this is the end. I'm going now."

Everyone started murmuring amongst themselves.

"I bit you all a very fond farewell." Bilbo smiled as he and Frodo locked eyes.

"Goodbye."

He suddenly disappeared right before their eyes. Everyone gasped. Gandalf, knowing exactly what happened, scowled and went to a certain hobbit hole. Frodo looked at Yuna, whose face matched his astonished one. After seeing Gandalf leave, Yuna stood up and went to follow him, getting lost along the way.

()()()()()()

Bilbo let out a gleeful laugh as he opened the front door to his home and closed it. He suddenly reappeared, looking at his hand where he held a golden ring. Flicking it in the air and catching it, he put it back in his pocket. He walked into his lounge to gather something.

"I suppose you think that was terribly clever," Gandalf startled him, appearing right behind the hobbit.

Jumping in surprise, Bilbo brushed him off. "Come on, Gandalf. Did you see their faces?" He continued to pack.

"There are many magic rings, Bilbo Baggins, and none of them should be used lightly," Gandalf said, his tone very serious.

"It was just a bit of fun!" Bilbo insisted, wishing the old wizard would leave him alone. He gave a frustrated sigh. "Oh, you're probably right as usual." He went to pick up his pipe before pointing a finger at Gandalf. "You _will_ keep an eye on Frodo won't you?"

"Two eyes."

"Thanks."

"As often as I can spare," Gandalf added.

"I'm leaving everything to him."

Gandalf slowly walked closer to Bilbo. "What about this ring of yours? Is that staying too?"

Bilbo waved his hands in the air. "Yes, yes. Its in an envelope over there on the mantelpiece."

Gandalf went to look, but was stopped when Bilbo spoke. "No! Wait...it's…here in my pocket. Ha!" He slowly took the ring out of his pocket, caressing it. "Isn't that…isn't that odd now. Yet after all, why not? Why shouldn't I keep it?" The hobbit's tone had turned oddly obsessive.

"I think you should leave the ring behind, Bilbo. Is that so hard?" Gandalf asked as he eyed Bilbo carefully.

Bilbo suddenly snapped, his eyes burning. "Well…no….and…yes…" he stroked the ring. "Now it comes to it, I don't feel like parting with it. It's mine, I found it! It came to _ME_!" He was almost shouting.

"There's no need to get angry," Gandalf spoke in a calm, worried tone. What in Middle Earth had possessed his jolly friend to speak out like that?

Bilbo continued his rant. "Well if I'm angry it's your fault! It's mine! My only…" he continued stroking the ring, his tone turning sweet, "My precious…"

That got Gandalf's attention. "Precious? It's been called that before. Not by you."

"Oh! What business is it of yours what I do with my own things!"

"I think you've had that ring quite long enough," Gandalf said sternly.

"You want it for yourself!" Bilbo shouted accusingly.

"BILBO BAGGINS!" Gandalf roared as he raised himself to his full height, and the room started to darken. Bilbo, having snapped out of his phase, backed up against the wall with fear. "Do not take me for some conjuror of cheap tricks! I am not trying to rob you!" The room slowly returned to normal, and Gandalf became calm. "I'm trying to help you." His eyes were sincere.

Ashamed of himself, and maybe a bit scared, Bilbo ran to Gandalf and hugged him. Patting his friend on the back, Gandalf knelt before him. "All your long years we've been friends. Trust me as you once did," Gandalf said, "Let it go."

Bilbo looked into the wizard's eyes, and knew he spoke the truth. "You're right, Gandalf. The ring must go to Frodo." He picked up his bag. "It's late, the road is long," he picked up his walking stick and walked towards the door, "Yes, it is time." He opened the door and began to walk out.

"Bilbo!" Gandalf called out, and he paused, "The ring is still in your pocket."

Turning around, the hobbit gave a guilty smile. "Oh! Yes…" Slowly, and reluctantly, Bilbo took the ring out of his pocket. Staring at it, he slowly tipped his hand, letting the ring fall on the floor. As if free from some spell, he turned around and walked outside, breathing the night air. "I've thought of an ending for my book," he said as Gandalf came out with him, " 'and he lives happily ever after to the end of his days'."

Gandalf smiled warmly, "And I'm sure you will, my dear friend."

They shook hands.

"Goodbye Gandalf."

"Goodbye. Dear Bilbo.

Bilbo Baggins walked out of his garden, and onto the path, singing a song:

"The road goes ever on and on.

Down from the door where it began…"

Gandalf watched him go.

"Until our next meeting."

Turning around, he spotted a ring on the floor. Bending down to pick it up, he stopped when he saw a vision of a blazing eye with a cat's pupil. Drawing his hand back, he straightened up.

"Gandalf?"

He turned around to see Yuna, panting.

"I-I, I would've been here sooner, but I got lost," Yuna explained. She looked around. "Where's Bilbo."

Although his face was solemn, he gave her smile. "Bilbo has gone to live with the elves in Rivendell. It would seem that the Shire provided no adventure for him. Bilbo was always fond of adventures."

"Oh." Placing her foot inside the house, she pulled it back when she felt something beneath her boot. It was a gold ring. Gandalf watched her closely as she looked at it. Yuna bent down to pick it up. As soon as her fingers touched the cold metal, she let out a cry, falling to her knees and quickly withdrawing her hand as if she had burned it. Gandalf quickly went over to her side.

"Are you alright?" he quickly asked her as he put a hand on her back. Her breathing was shaky.

"I…I saw an eye," she said slowly, "An eye that was on fire. I could feel it looking right into me." She wrapped her arms around herself, giving a shiver. "I could feel the evil coming from it. Evil desires. I…I wanted to do something very bad." She felt wet trails on her face, and realized that she was crying.

Gently wiping the tears off her face, Gandalf helped her to her feet. "I am afraid this is a grave matter. Very grave indeed."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when I told you about the one ring worn by Sauron, the Dark Lord?" She nodded. "I suspect that that ring, is the One Ring." Yuna's eyes widened.

"What does it mean?"

"It means that Sauron is planning to come back. He will wage war against Man once again. But I am not sure," his brow furrowed, "I believe you when you told me what you saw and felt upon touching the ring. I felt it, too. But I am not certain if this is the One Ring."

"What will you do?"

"Tonight, I will go to Minus Tirith where the Kingdom of Gondor lies. I will seek out the records of Gondor's history of kings. There, I hope to find answers," Gandalf told her.

"Tonight? But it's late!" Yuna said.

"I can not delay this matter."

Yuna realized how serious the matter was. She gave a nod of her head. "What do you need me to do?"

"Stay with Frodo, for now. Watch over him," Gandalf ordered her, "You must make sure no one else knows, nor gets a hand on the ring." Looking over at the ring once more, he murmured to himself, "Riddles of the dark."

"Bilbo? Bilbo!" They heard Frodo calling from outside.

"Quickly, in the other room," Gandalf urged Yuna. The two went into the other room just as Frodo walked in. Looking down at the ring on the floor, he picked it up, and went into the other room where Yuna and Gandalf were sitting.

"He's gone, hasn't he?" Frodo asked sadly "He talked for so long about leaving, I didn't think he'd really do it. Gandalf?" Frodo walked up to the wizard with a questioning face.

Gandalf, who was smoking his pipe, acted like he was in a world of his own. Taking notice of Frodo, and the ring on his hand, he smiled. "Bilbo's Ring."

"He's gone to stay with the elves," Yuna explained.

"He's left you Bagend." Gandalf said as he held out an envelope to Frodo who drops the ring in. "The ring is yours now. Put it out of sight."

Frodo took the envelope slowly as Gandalf stood up to leave. "Where are you going?" His face was confused. Everyone seemed to be leaving today, what was going on?

"I have some things I have to attend to," Gandalf replied.

"What things?"

"Questions," Gandalf took up his hat and staff, "Questions that need answering."

"You've only just arrived!"

"Do not fret, Yuna will stay with you until I return." He opened the door to head out, Frodo and Yuna following him.

"I don't understand," Frodo said as he stood behind Gandalf.

Turning around, Gandalf looked at him. "Neither do I." He bent down to Frodo and put a hand on his shoulder. "Keep it secret. Keep it safe," he said to him, and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Frodo looked down at the envelope he was holding, and then up at Yuna. The summoner gave him a small smile, and put a gently hand on his shoulder.

"So…what do you know about elves?" she asked him.

()()()()()()

Gandalf was in a library. He had seen the volcano, Mount Doom, erupt. He was reading a great sheath of papers, coming across an interesting page. He read it aloud to himself:

" 'The year 3434 of the Second Age. Here follows the account of Isildur, the High King of Gondor, and the finding of the Ring of Power. It has come to me, the One Ring, and it shall be an heirloom of my Kingdom. All those who follow in my bloodline shall be bound to its fate, for I shall risk no hurt to the Ring. It is precious to me, though I buy it with a great pain. The markings upon the band begin to fade. The writing, which at first was as clear as red flame, has all but disappeared. A secret now, that only fire can tell'."

Gandalf looked up from the page, his eyes thoughtful and pensive.

()()()()()()

Somewhere near the Shire, a hooded rider cornered a male hobbit.

"Ssshirre! Bagginsss!" It hissed. The voice was ghastly, almost like it was transparent.

"T-t-there's no Bagginses round here. They're up in H-Hobbiton. That way!" the hobbit cried while pointing in the direction.

The hooded rider kicked its might stead, and left, several other hooded riders followed behind.

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long to update! College is sucking the life out of me…literally. Anyway, I hope I was able to get Gandalf's dialogue right. My Beta is a tad bit busy at the moment, so I am on my own as far as editing goes—I apologize for any atrocious grammar/spelling mistakes. Review/Favorite/Alert this story!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I do not own Final Fantasy or Lord of the Rings. Also, I'd like to apologize, Valefor does not have a dog, it's just a girl. The aeon Yojimbo has the dog.

Wal Otter – They're not exactly dead. More like cursed men—they're the slaves of Sauron. Have you seen/read the movies/books?

Chapter 3

Thanking Rosie, Frodo took four mugs of ale from her. He was with Sam, Merry, and Pippin at the most popular bar in Hobbiton. The pair of misfits was dancing on the table, singing a jolly song. All the other hobbits were singing and clapping along.

"Hey ho, to the bottle I go!

To heal my heart, and drown my woe!

Rain may fall and wind may blow,

But there still me –

Many miles to go!"

Crouching and looking each other in the, Merry and Pippin continued.

"Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,

and the stream that falls from the hill to plain.

Better than rain or rippling brook—"

There was a slight pause.

"There's a mug of beer inside this Took!" Pippin finished alone, and everyone cheered.

Frodo chuckled and shook his head at the two. It had been a couple of days since Gandalf left, leaving Yuna with the young hobbit. The girl was interesting. She told him about her homeland, and what her job as a summoner was. It intrigued him that such a young girl held such responsibility.

But she was back at his hobbit hole. She didn't really care for drinking.

Sam sat alone with two other hobbits, who were talking amongst themselves.

"There's been some strange folk crossing the Shire. Dwarves, others of a less than savory nature," said the one hobbit.

The other hobbit shook his head. "War's brewing. The mountains are fair teeming with goblins"

"Children's stories that's all that is," the first hobbit replied, "You're beginning to sound like that old Bilbo Baggins! Cracked he was!" Seeing Frodo, he gestured to the younger hobbit. "Young Mr. Frodo here, he's cracking!"

"And proud of it!" Frodo grinned and slid the drinks across the table, "Cheers, Gaffer." He lifted his drink to him.

"Cheers," the older hobbit reciprocated.

"Well," the other hobbit began, "it's none of our concern what goes beyond our borders. Keep your nose out of trouble and no trouble will come to you." He gave Frodo a knowing look, but the young hobbit only grinned and raised his mug.

"Speaking of strange folk, how's that pretty lass of yours, Mr. Frodo?" the hobbit, Gaffer, asked.

Frodo gave him a strange look, before realizing whom the old hobbit was talking about. "Oh, Lady Yuna is just a guest," he explained, "Although, I guess I ought to check on her."

"Well, where is she? Why isn't she down with you enjoying a drink?" The other hobbit said with wide eyes. Who in their right minds didn't enjoy a nice cup of ale?

Frodo shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me whether she drinks or not, and neither should it matter to you." He took a sip from his mug.

After a couple more mugs of ale, Frodo decided to retire for the night, Sam coming with him. They passed by Rosie as they exited the pub.

"Good night lads," she greeted, looking more at Sam.

Sam's face went red, as he stumbled out of the doorway. He sighed as he composed himself a couple feet away from him.

"Good night, sweet maiden of the golden ale," another hobbit drunkenly, but sweetly, said to her as he got down on one knee.

Sam looked back, glaring at the other hobbit. "Oi, mind who you're sweet talking!" he muttered angrily to himself.

Frodo chuckled as he clasped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Sam. Rosie knows an idiot when she sees one." He walked a head of him.

Sam stopped walking, giving a grimace. "Does she?" he murmured. Sam knew he always acted like a lovesick fool, which _could_ translate into being an idiot.

"Good night, Sam!" Frodo called over his shoulder as he headed to Baggend. He followed the path that took him home and had reached the front door when he heard the sound of a horse. Curiously, he walked around his hobbit hole and was surprise to see a giant horse.

It was big. Bigger than any horse he had ever seen—to a hobbit, _any_ horse was big. This was horse was ten times bigger than that. As he got closer he realized that it wasn't a normal horse either. It was black, with white skeletal-looking stripes on its body. There was a white tail and mane that had blue on the end of the hairs. There was white hair lining around its hoofs as well. A gold band was on each of its front legs, and then one huge gold band wrapped around its chest and neck, like a harness. But what was interesting about the horse, aside from the huge, curved, horn, but there was sparks of blue lightning emitting from it.

His heart began faster as he realized he had no idea why such a creature would be lurking behind his house, but was relieved as he saw Yuna step in front of the horse and began to stroke its muzzle. Cautiously, he walked up beside her.

"Is it yours?"

She jumped at his voice, turning to look at him. "Oh, hello Frodo."

"Sorry," he apologized. "Is it yours? This horse, I mean."

"Horse?" She looked at the aeon before her. How was she to explain this? "Well, it isn't exactly mine..."

Frodo's brow furrowed in confusion. "Not yours? Well, where did you get him, or her?"

"The Fayth. And he isn't really…a horse." She stepped back and gave a nod to the aeon. Immedietly, small balls of light emanated from the horse. The more balls of light that came out, the more translucent the horse came to be, and soon it disappeared completely. The balls of light traveled up to the skies like fireflies before disappearing.

Frodo watched with fascination. "The Fayth…" he tried to remember.

"They are the spirits. They are the ones who grant me the ability to summon the aeons."

"Spirits?" Frodo echoed with interest, "So…who was the spirit of…?" He was going to say 'horse,' but figured that if it was a spirit, it had a name.

"Ixion."

"Oh, Ixion," it felt foreign on his tongue, "Who is Ixion?"

Yuna looked up at the starry sky. "The aeon of Djose temple. In the form of a horned horse, the fayth of Ixion is a sailor, infused with the power of lightning." She gave a small smile. "He was my third aeon that I received on my pilgrimage." The smile became strained. "It was right after…" she trailed off. "Operation Mi'ihen…" she whispered, remembering the horrific event.

"I'm sorry, right after what?" Frodo prompted. He didn't catch her last part.

Taking a deep breath, her smile brightened as she turned to look at Frodo. "Oh…it's nothing. I guess we should head back in." She looked up at the big moon.

"Yes, it _is _a bit late, isn't it," Frodo agreed as they both walked to the front door of the hobbit hole. They both walked into the house, and were stunned to see the windows open, and papers littering the floor.

Yuna quickly ran into the parlor while Frodo cautiously walked around. Suddenly, he felt something grab his shoulder, and he turned around with a gasp.

It was Gandalf.

"Is it secret? Is it safe?" the wizard furiously asked in a quiet tone.

Frodo quickly nodded his head and went into the parlor there a chest was. Yuna turned around and was surprised to see the old wizard. "Sir Gandalf!"

The grey wizard gave her a brief smile before jerking at a slight nose from outside. Frodo rummaged in the chest for a moment before pulling out a familiar envelope. He held the envelope out to Gandalf who grabbed it and threw it in the fireplace.

"What are you doing!" Frodo cried.

Yuna watched on silently, as Gandalf took up a pair of tongs and watched the envelope burn away. With the tongs, he took the ring out of the fire and held it up to his eye for inspection. Seeing nothing, he called out to the hobbit. "Hold our your hand, Frodo." The hobbit was hesitant, and Gandalf gave him a reassuring look. "It's quite cool." Slowly, Frodo held out his hand. "What can you see? Can you see anything?"

Frodo turned the ring over in his hands, the smooth, shiny gold coloring unmarked. He shook his head. "Nothing. There's nothing."

Yuna watched Gandalf give a slight sigh of relief.

"Wait."

Gandalf froze.

"There are markings," Frodo said as he turned the Ring around to see the whole thing, "It's some form of Elvish, I can't read it."

"There are few who can. The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here," Gandalf said gravely.

Yuna gave a slight gasp as Frodo's eyes widened, a mixture of fear and awe. "Mordor!"

"In the common tongue it says:

One Ring to rule them all.

One Ring to find them.

One Ring to bring them all

And in the darkness bind them."

The trio moved into the kitchen where Frodo put the ring on the table and began to make tea. Gandalf pulled out his smoking pipe and observed the ring.

"This is the One Ring," he stated, "Forged by the Dark Lord Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom. Taken by Isildur from the hand of Sauron himself."

"Bilbo found it. In Gollum's cave," Frodo added.

"Yes, for sixty years the Ring lay quiet in Bilbo's keeping, prolonging his life. Delaying old age. But no longer Frodo," Gandalf said, "Evil is stirring in Mordor. The Ring has awoken. Its heard its master's call."

Yuna felt a chill go down her spine at the wizard's tone. Goosebumps lined her arms.

Frodo's brow furrowed in confusion. "But he was destroyed. Sauron was destroyed." He looked at Gandalf for confirmation.

But the grey wizard shook his head. "No, Frodo. The spirit of Sauron endured. His life force is bound to the Ring, and the Ring survived. Sauron has returned His orcs have multiplied. His fortress at Barad-Dur is rebuilt in the land of Mordor. Sauron needs only this Ring to cover all the lands of a second darkness. He is seeking it, seeking it. All his thought is bent on it. The Ring yearns above all else to return to the hand of its master. They are one, the Ring and the Dark Lord. Frodo, he must never find it."

Frodo gave a curt nod of his head, walking out of the room and looking around. "We put it away," he said, "We must never speak of it again. No one knows its here…do they?" He turned around to face Gandalf.

The wizard eyed him. "There is one other who knew Bilbo had the Ring," he began, "I looked everywhere for the creature Gollum, but the enemy found him first. Amidst the endless screams and inane babble they discerned two words."

And that's when Yuna began to understand everything.

"Shire. Baggins."

Frodo's eyes widened in disbelief. "Shire…Baggins," his eyes lit up in realization, "But that will lead them here!" He suddenly thrust the Ring to Gandalf, the wizard immedietly stepped back away from it.

"Take it, Gandalf!"

"No, Frodo."

"You must take it!"

"You cannot offer me this Ring."

"I'm giving it to you!"

"DON'T!" Gandalf shouted in a tone that made the hobbit flinch, "Tempt me, Frodo. I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand Frodo, I would use this Ring to do good. But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine."

Frodo looked at Yuna with a pleading look, but she sadly shook her head.

"I'm sorry. But I can't take it either," her eyes were filled with worry, "The Ring…it's filled with evil bearings."

"But it cannot stay in the Shire!"

"No!" Gandalf agreed, "No it can't"

Frodo took the Ring back, and rolled it in his hands. A resigned look was on his face. "What must I do?"

"You must leave, and leave quickly," Gandalf told him.

With a nod, Frodo quickly grabbed a bag and began stuffing some clothes into it. Yuna helped him by folding and handing him the clothing. "Where? Where do I go?"

"Get out of the Shire. Make for the village of Bree," Gandalf answered.

"Bree," Frodo repeated, hoping it would stay in his mind, "But what about you?"

"I'll be waiting there, at the Inn of the Prancing Pony."

"And me?" Yuna asked.

"Stay with Frodo," he ordered her, "Become his protector. Make sure _no one_ gets to him or the Ring." Yuna nodded.

"The Ring will be safe there?" Frodo asked as he packed some food.

Gandalf solemnly shook his head. "Frodo, I don't have any answers. I must see the head of my order. He is both wise and powerful. Trust me Frodo, he'll know what to do." He handed Frodo his coat. "You'll have to leave the name of Baggins behind you, for that name is not safe outside the Shire." He looked at both Frodo and Yuna. "Travel by day, and stay off the road."

"I can cut across the country, easily enough," Frodo said confidently as he slipped the Ring into his pocket.

Gandalf smiled, a _real_ smile. "My dear Frodo, hobbits really are amazing creatures. You can learn all there is to know about them in a month, and yet in a hundred years that can still surprise you." Frodo returned his smile.

Suddenly, a rustle was heard outside, and everyone's attention snapped to the open window.

"Get down!" Gandalf hissed to Frodo, who quickly complied.

Yuna quickly called for her staff. Gandalf slowly approached the window, Yuna behind him, staffs outreached before them. Suddenly, Gandalf quickly jabbed his staff into the flowerbed, and heard a grunt of pain. Throwing his staff aside, he reaches in the flowerbed and pulled out a hobbit, throwing him on the table. Yuna lowered her staff as she recognized the intruder.

"Sam?" she tilted her head.

"Confound you Samwise Gamgee, have you been eavesdropping?" the old wizard roared into the poor hobbit's face.

Sam rapidly shook his head as he sputtered, "I haven't been dropping no eaves sir, honest! I was just cutting the grass under the window there, if you follow me."

"A little late for trimming the verge, don't you think?" Gandalf said with a raised brow. His grip on the hobbit had loosened slightly.

"I heard raised voices…" Sam admitted.

"What did you hear?" Gandalf pressed, "Speak!"

Sam flinched as he answered "Nothing important! That is, I heard a good deal about a ring and a dark lord and something about the end of the world, but please Mr. Gandalf sir, please don't hurt me. Don't turn me into anything…unnatural."

Gandalf caught Frodo's eyes, and the Baggins smiled. "Perhaps not," the old wizard agreed, "I've though of a better use for you."

Sam found himself behind a horse, following Gandalf, Frodo, and Yuna through the Shire, a big bag on his shoulders filled with clothing, food, pots and pans.

"Come along, Samwise. Keep up!" The grey-wizard called over hi shoulder in a gruff tone. He led the trio through a woodland.

"Be careful, all of you. The enemy has many spies in his service. Birds, beasts…" Gandalf warned them. He looked at Frodo. "Is it safe?" Frodo clutched his pocket and the old grey wizard kneeled down before him. "Never put it on, for the agents of the Dark Lord will be drawn to its power," he told the young hobbit, "Always remember, Frodo, the Ring is trying to get back to its Master. It _wants_ to be found." After patting Frodo on the shoulder, and giving Yuna a knowing look, he mounted his horse and rode off.

Frodo tried to smile, but he couldn't help but worry. Everything was happening so quickly. First Bilbo runs off, then Gandalf, and now he has a cursed Ring. Sam stepped up behind him.

"Mr. Frodo?"

Frodo turned and smiled at his friend. "Come on," he beckoned Sam and Yuna to follow him.

They walked across many fields, past a farmhouse, a waterfall, and over a hill.

"Miss Yuna, I couldn't help but notice that you've no bag with you," Sam said as they trekked across another field.

"Oh…well I —"

"Sam, I have everything that Yuna will need with my things. Besides, you wouldn't have Rosie carry her own bags would you?" Frodo said with a smile.

Sam blushed at this. "No, I suppose not. Please forgive me Miss Yuna."

"It's alright Sam," Yuna said with a light laugh, "I never really had the need to carry a bag with me. Where I'm from, there was always a lodge that my friends and I could rest at."

"That sounds wonderful," Sam said with woe, "You wouldn't see a resting place for many miles." He suddenly stopped. They were in a young cornfield. "This is it."

Yuna and Frodo stopped walking as well.

"This is what?" Frodo asked.

Sam had a cautious face. "If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest from home I've ever been."

Frodo walked back toward him. "Come on, Sam." He reached an arm out, trying to coax the other hobbit. Sam hesitated, before taking a step, and then another. Yuna smiled and Frodo patted him on the back.

"Remember what Bilbo used to say," Frodo told Sam, "It's a dangerous business going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

They reached another woodland.

"Tell us about Besaid, Miss Yuna," Frodo said, with the enthusiasm of a child.

"Well, it's a lot like the Shire, except it's an island so there's a lot of water," Yuna said thoughtfully, "But it's also quiet, it's not very loud, so it's calm and peaceful."

"Did you receive an aeon there?" Frodo asked.

Yuna smiled at the memory. "Yes, my very first aeon, Valefor. In the form of a phoenix, the fayth is a young girl who used to live on Besaid."

"Can you show us?" Sam asked.

Yuna gently shook her head. "I don't think that would be a good idea. Gandalf warned us about Sauron's allies. I don't want to attract any unwanted attention." She saw a disheartened look on Sam's face. "But maybe, you'll get to see them in battle."

Sam's eyes went wide. "Battle? You mean, you can fight?" He turned to Frodo. "She can fight, Mr. Frodo?"

The other hobbit gave a sheep shrug. "I have seen these aeons, Sam. I have no doubt that Miss Yuna can hold her own."

"Is that so hard to imagine?" Yuna asked. In Spira, anyone willing and who possessed the skill would fight.

"Please don't take offense, Miss Yuna," Sam apologized, "It's just that, besides us hobbits, the females of Men do not fight. Their only job is to cook, clean, and take care of the children."

Yuna couldn't decide whether not she should be offended or angered. "Where I'm from, anyone willing to fight is allowed: men, women, even children."

"Children, Miss Yuna?"

She nodded. "Even children want to protect their families, Sam. They are not a stranger to the thought of death. Especially if their loved one turns into a fiend."

"A fiend?" Frodo asked.

Yuna looked at Frodo, and gave him a gentle smile, and looked up at the sky. "I think we should stop for today. It's getting pretty dark."

They set up camp underneath a nice big tree. Yuna watched as Sam's attempt at lighting a fire was unsuccessful. She conjured her staff and pointed it at the bundle of wood, and a small fire was lit, startling Sam who fell back on his butt. Muttering his thanks, he began the preparations for dinner. While he was waiting for dinner to cook, Sam brought out his pipe and started to smoke.

Frodo had placed his stuff down and found a comfortable spot in the tree, with Yuna on the ground below him. It wasn't long until they heard music.

"Sam, Yuna!" he called to them.

The other two heard the music as well. Following the sound, they crouched behind some bushes. Yuna's eyes widened as she saw a line of people dressed in blue hooded robes, an ethereal glow emanating from them.

"Wood elves," Frodo said with a smile, "They're going to the harbor beyond the white tower to the Grey Havens."

"These are elves?" Yuna asked, wide eyed. These were the people that Bilbo had mistaken her as? Her cheeks reddened. My, what a compliment to have. They looked so pure, untainted, something she couldn't even imagine.

"They're leaving Middle Earth," Sam concluded.

"Never to return," Frodo added with a nod.

"I don't know why….it makes me sad," Sam said as he turned his focus back to the dinner that was currently cooking.

They each at their meal that consisted of fried sausages and mixed vegetables. It was nighttime now, and the only source of light was the soft glow of the fire. When they all settled down to sleep, Yuna had offered to take first watch.

"We're still in the Shire, Miss Yuna. I really don't think we have anything to worry about," Frodo tried to persuade her to sleep. But she shook her head.

"Gandalf seemed really worried, Frodo, and that was back in Hobbiton. I don't want to take any chances now that we're getting further away," Yuna explained.

"Then let Mr. Frodo or me take the first watch then. As a lady, you are our first priority," Sam said.

"I'm fine, really. You two should get some sleep. I'm used to long trips anyway," she ended the conversation.

With some reluctance, the two hobbits settled down for sleep. But it wasn't long until Sam was tossing about.

"Everywhere I lie, there's a dirty great root sticking into my back," he said.

Frodo had his eyes closed. "Just shut your eyes and imagine you're back in your own bed, with a soft mattress and a lovely feather pillow," he murmured.

After a few more tosses and Sam gave a groan. "It's not working Mr. Frodo! Oh, I'm never going to be able to sleep out here!"

"Me neither, Sam," Frodo replied with a smile, his eyes still closed.

()()()()()()

They were up at the crack of dawn the next morning. Yuna admired all the fields that she saw, the greenery of the Shire. It really did remind her of Spira.

"So Miss Yuna, what do you think of the Shire so far?" Sam asked.

"Oh it's wonderful," Yuna said with a smile, "It's very peaceful."

Sam nodded, satisfied with her answer. "I just hope that Gandalf can figure things out at the Prancing Pony. I want to be back at my hole with my garden." His eyes widened. "My garden!" he gasped, "I didn't ask anyone to care for it while I was gone!"

"I'm sure you're garden will be fine, Sam. After all, you're only gone a couple days," Yuna said as they entered a tall field of corn.

"Oh, I do hope they're all right," Sam groaned as he trudged through the cornfield.

"Sam, are you sure we're going the right way?" Yuna asked after a few moments. The corn stalks were never ending.

"Of course this is the right way. Why, you can even ask Mr. Frodo—" he suddenly stopped. "Mr. Frodo?" He looked around, but the hobbit was nowhere to be found. He bolted.

"Sam?" Yuna asked, hot on his heels.

"Frodo! Frodo!" Sam shouted. He slowed as soon as he saw the other hobbit's back. Frodo turned around, his eyes questioning. "I thought I'd lost you," Sam huffed, Yuna beside him.

"What do you mean?" Frodo gave him a look.

"It's just something Gandalf said," Sam said as they slowly continued to walk.

"What did he say?"

Sam turned to look at Frodo. "'Don't you lose him Samwise Gamgee,' and I don't mean to." Yuna smiled at the hobbit.

"Sam," Frodo chuckled, "We're still in the Shire. What could possibly happen?"

And at that moment, two figures dashed out from a couple of cornstalks, running into both Frodo and Yuna. It was Merry and Pippin.

Pippin looked down at whom he had fallen on. "Frodo! Merry, it's Frodo Baggins!"

"And his lass," Merry dreamily gazed upon Yuna's face. He was suddenly yanked to his feet by Sam. "Hello, Frodo!"

"Get off them!" Sam grunted as he pulled Pippin off of Frodo. "Frodo, are you all right?"

"What's the meaning of this?" Frodo asked the pair of misfits, who were frantically picking up an assortment of vegetables off the ground.

Merry gave a bundle to Sam. "Hold these."

"You've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!" Sam shouted.

"And these," Merry handed a bundle to Frodo. He went to hand a bundle to Yuna, who had her hands outstretched, but he took them back with a grin. "My apologies m'lady." Yuna only shook her head.

Suddenly, the sound of a dog barking was heard, and the top of a scythe was seen over the top of the corn stalks. "Hoi, you get back here! Wait till I get this through you!" the angry hobbit farmer shouted.

Pippin grabbed Frodo by the shoulders and pushed him through the cornstalks as Merry grabbed Yuna by the hand.

"Get out of my fields! You'll know the devil if I catch up with you!" another shout.

Sam, quickly noticing he was the only one standing, looked at the vegetables in his hands before dropping them and running.

"Dunno why he's so upset. It's only a couple of carrots," Merry said to Yuna.

"And some cabbages, and those few bags of potatoes that we lifted last week," Pippin called back, "And the mushrooms the week before."

"_Yes_ Pippin," Merry said in a frustrated tone, "My point is, he's clearly overreacting!"

Pippin abruptly stopped when he saw the cliff top. Frodo, Merry, and Yuna quickly ran into him, but not enough to send them flying. They all looked down below, trying to figure out what to do, when Sam ran into Yuna, causing the entire group tumbling.

Pippin landed first, with Sam on top of him, and then Merry on top of him. Yuna landed right next to Pippin, with Frodo on top of her.

Pippin, seeing a pile of fresh dung, let out a low whistle. "Ooh, that was close."

"Oh!" Merry groaned, "I think I've broken something." He pulled out a big, orange carrot, which was broken in half.

"Trust a Brandybuck and a Took," Sam grumbled as he spat out some plants and stood up.

"What? That was just a detour. A shortcut," Merry explained as he brushed himself off.

"To what?"

"Mushroom!" Pippin spotted. The three hobbits made a dash towards the umbrella like fungus.

Frodo looked up to the face of Yuna, who was giggling. "Looks like we've been in this situation before." Frodo, red and smiling, quickly got off of her and helped her up.

Yuna started brushing the dirt off her sleeves as Frodo strolled up the pathway. A slight breeze came towards them, making Yuna shiver.

"I'm getting a bad feeling from this," she said to Frodo.

Frodo nodded in agreement. "I think we should get off the road," he called out to the trio who were still squabbling over the mushrooms.

This time, a stronger breeze came through, making the leaves swirl. A haunting cry filled the air, making Yuna gasp. Frodo quickly grabbed her hand.

"Get off the road, quick!"

They all dashed into a ditch beneath a tree root. Merry and Pippin began jostling their treasures as Sam hushed them. Still looking through their vegetables, they all stilled as they heard the steps of a horse.

Frodo looked up and through the tree roots to see a horse with nails on its hooves. The horse's eyes were red. Frodo quickly ducked his head as the rider got off, and peered over the edge of the root, sniffing. Everyone shrunk back further into the root.

Insects and bugs suddenly came out of the root, trying to get away from the rider. Yuna stifled a cry as a centipede crawled over her shoulder.

Frodo felt a weird feeling come over, and he closed his eyes. He reached for the Ring, and when he pulled it out, the rider jerked its head. Fingering the Ring, Frodo when to put it on his finger when Sam suddenly reached over Pippin and stopped him. Frodo, out of his stupor, pulled the Ring away. Merry flung his bag of mushrooms to the side, and the Rider quickly followed, giving a cry.

Seeing their chance to escape, the group quickly dashed into the woods.

"What was that?" Merry gasped, in shock.

Frodo could only look at him with fear, and then at the Ring that was in his hands, Yuna, by his side.

It suddenly occurred to Yuna, that battle between light and dark was more complicated than it seemed.

It was dark now, completely pitch black.

The group staggered themselves in the woods, running faster everytime they heard the shrill cry of the rider.

"Anything?" Sam called out.

Yuna held her staff in her hands.

"Nothing," Frodo answered.

"What's going on?" Pippin asked, stumbling behind them.

"That rider was looking for someone. Or something," Merry said as he walked up to Frodo, "Frodo?"

"Get down!" Yuna hissed.

They all ducked down and see through the trees, a rider on its horse on a hill walk off.

"I have to leave the Shire," Frodo told Merry, "Sam, Yuna, and I must get to Bree."

Merry nodded, understanding the situation. "Right, Buckleberry Ferry. Follow me!"

Merry ran through the trees, out into the open. Frodo went to follow, when suddenly, a rider appeared in front of him!

"Run!" Pippin cried.

"Frodo, this way! Follow me!" Merry called to him.

But Frodo couldn't move, the rider's horse was in his way, and its rider, confused as to whom it should attack first.

"Thunder!" Yuna cried, raising her staff. A bold of lightning stuck the rider, stunning it briefly.

"Follow me!" Merry repeated, "Run!"

The group took off, soon reaching a fence next to a riverbank. Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Yuna jumped the fence first, reaching the raft first.

"Get the rope, Sam!" Merry ordered.

"Frodo!" Sam cried. As he was untying the rope, he saw Frodo running down the path towards them, the rider right behind him.

They all shouted and encouraged the hobbit to run faster and jump. As Frodo got to the dock, Yuna quickly raised her staff. "Fire!" she shouted, and a line of fire quickly ignited after Frodo, who jumped and landed on the raft.

The horse shrieked and reared, before backing up.

"How far to the nearest crossing?" Frodo panted.

"The Brandywine Bridge. Twenty miles," Merry answered as he pushed the prod into the water.

They watched as the rider backed up the path, and joined two others.

()()()()()()

By now it was raining, and everyone had their cloaks and hoods up. They had reached Bree, and thankfully, no sign of the riders. Frodo knocked on the door of the gate.

A small window towards the top of the hatch was open. Yuna saw a face look at her, and she gestured down below her. The face nodded and closed the window, before appearing at a lower window on the door.

"What do you want?" the gatekeeper asked in a scratchy voice.

"We're heading for the Prancing Pony," Frodo answered.

The gatekeeper shut the window, and opened the door. Yuna looked around, on the lookout for any riders. The gatekeeper held his lantern up and his eyes went wide. "A lass and hobbits. Four hobbits! What's more out of The Shire by your talk! What business brings you to Bree?"

"We wish to be at the Inn. Out business is our own," Frodo stated firmly.

"Alright young sir, I meant no offense," the gatekeeper allowed Frodo and his company through, "My job to ask questions after nightfall. There's talk of strange folk abroad. Can't be too careful."

They trudged their way towards the Inn. Yuna made a mental note to clean her boots when they arrived at the resting place. They entered the Inn, apologizing when they ran into someone.

Frodo walked up to the bar. "Excuse me?"

The Barliman peered over his bar to see Frodo and his company. "Good Evening little masters. What can I do for you? If you're looking for accommodation, we've got some nice, cozy hobbit sized rooms available. Always proud to cater to the little folk, Mr err... ?"

"U-Underhill," Frodo stuttered, "My name's Underhill." He paused. "We're friends of Gandalf the Grey. Can you tell him we've arrived?"

"Gandalf? Gandalf," the Barliman said quizzically. The lightbulb suddenly went off in his head. "Oh, yes I remember! Elderly chap, big grey beard, pointy hat!" Frodo nodded, hopefully. "Not seen him in six months."

Frodo's face fell, and he turned to look at his friends, lost. They all huddled together.

"What do we do now?" Sam asked.

"Maybe he's just late," Yuna suggested.

"Sam, he'll be here. He'll come," Frodo said, confident.

They all settled in, ordering food and drink. Merry went to the bar, and came back with a mug of beer.

"What's that?" Pippin asked.

"This, my friend, is a pint," Merry answered, his eyes eyeing the foam.

"It comes in pints? I'm getting one," Pippin said as he left the table.

"You've had a whole half already!" Sam called out to him.

"Frodo," Yuna softly called out to the hobbit, "That man over there has been staring at you since we've arrived." She nodded to a hooded figure smoking his pipe in the corner of the room.

Looking at the man, he stopped the Barliman who was walking past. "Excuse me. That man in the corner, who is he?"

The Barliman looked at the hooded figure. "He's one of them rangers. They're dangerous folk they are. Wandering the wilds. What his right name is, I've never heard, but round here, he's known as Strider."

"Strider," Frodo murmured to himself as the Barliman walked away.

"I don't understand," Yuna said worriedly, "Gandalf should be here by now, right?"

Frodo didn't answer. He was deep in thought, playing with the Ring. He suddenly heard whisperings from the Ring. It was calling him. Baggins. Baggins. Baggins. Baggins!

"Baggins? Sure I know a Baggins!"

Frodo was snapped out of his dream.

Pippin pointed to him from the bar. "He's over there. Frodo Baggins! He's my second cousin once removed on his mother's side and my third cousin twice removed on his father's side, if you follow me."

Yuna and Sam gave Frodo a worried look as Strider looked at Frodo with vast attention.

"Pippin!" Frodo yelled as he hurried to the other hobbit's side. He grabbed Pippin by the arm.

"Steady on!" Pippin said as he shook Frodo off.

Frodo took a step back, and tripped, the Ring flying into the air. Frodo landed on his back, and reached his hand to it, the Ring slipping itself on his index finger.

Frodo disappeared.

Everyone gasped, and Pippin turned around in shock. Yuna and Sam looked at each other, before frantically trying to find the hobbit.

What they didn't see was Frodo appearing not to far from the pair. Breathing a sigh of relief, he was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder.

"You draw too much attention to yourself Mr. _Underhill_."

It was Strider. Frodo was dragged up the stairs and thrown into a room. He found himself staring at a pair of light brown leather boots. His eyes travelled up to see a sleeveless white overcoat over a brown turtleneck shirt zipped up to the top, and green metallic pauldron over the left shoulder. A red cape attached to the uniform near the left shoulder. He looked up to the face of a young woman with light pink hair that was a swept to the side. Her pale blue eyes were observing him coolly.

"Who's this?" Her voice was soft and crisp.

"What do you want?" Frodo asked, turning to look at Strider.

"A little more caution from you. That is no trinket you carry," Strider answered.

"I carry nothing," Frodo lied.

"Indeed," Strider said as he nodded to the woman who began snuffing out the candles on her side, as he began to do the same on his side. "I can avoid being seen if I wish. But to disappear entirely," he removed his hood, "that is a rare gift!"

"Who are you?" Frodo asked, looking from Strider to the woman.

"Are you scared?" the woman asked him.

Frodo stopped to think. "Yes."

"Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you," Strider explained.

Suddenly, the door was flung open. Strider unsheathed his sword, while Frodo watched in awe as the woman take out an odd shaped weapon, flicked her wrist and a blade popped out.

Yuna dashed into the room, her staff raised and ready to cast, while Sam, Merry, and Pippin pushed their way into the room carrying a stool and candlesticks.

"Let him go! Or I'll have you Longshanks!" Sam growled, his fists ready.

Strider, a bit in disbelief, only sheathed his sword. "You have a stout heart little hobbit, but that will not save you. You can no longer wait for the wizard Frodo. They're coming." He turned to look at his companion, whose eyes were wide and looking at Yuna.

"Yuna?"

The summoner blinked, trying to figure out who the woman was. Suddenly, it came back to her.

"Lightning!"

**A/N: ** I'm on winter break! Be prepared for updates like crazy (or maybe just faster)! I saw the Hobbit, and it was AMAZING! I really want to do a FF/Hobbit fanfic now XD. That's on my future list. Review/Favorite/Alert this story!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I do not own Final Fantasy or Lord of the Rings. Also, I apologize for not updating sooner. I got to go to Japan for the month of January, and I didn't bring my computer with—nor did I have complete access to a computer there.

Chapter 4

The gatekeeper was sitting in the gatehouse smoking his pipe when he heard the snort of a horse. Grumbling to himself, he stood up and walked over to the gate. Opening the top window, his eyes went wide as he gasped. Before he had a chance to even yell, the gate was knocked down by four Black Riders. They rode into Bree and stopped at the Inn. The riders walked into the Inn, swords drawn to their sides. The Barliman was hiding behind the bar, frightened and praying that they wouldn't see him.

Meanwhile the hobbits slept peacefully in their beds. Quietly, the Riders entered into the room, their swords held upright in front of them. They each stood next to a bed and held their swords high, poised to strike. Sam snorted as he tossed restlessly in his sleep. Suddenly the Riders stabbed the beds as their horses paw the air outside. Convinced their victims were dead, the Riders pulled back the covers only to see the feathers of the pillows that have been put there in place of the hobbits. They gave a loud screech and turn the beds upside down in anger.

In an inn across from the Prancing Pony, Strider was watching the angered Riders from the window. Lightning was leaning against the wall with Yuna sitting on a chair by her side. The screams of the Riders woke Pippin and Merry with a start and all four hobbits looked at Strider.

"What are they?" Frodo asked after a moment.

"They were once men, Great Kings of Men," Strider explained, "Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed they took them without question. One by one falling into darkness." He looked outside to see the Riders mount their horses. "Now they are slaves to his will. They are the Nazgûl. Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the Ring. Drawn to the power of the One," he looked at Frodo, "They will never stop hunting you."

"Is the Ring really that powerful?" Yuna asked.

"The fact that Sauron still exists is enough proof," Lightning told the summoner.

Yuna was silent. She wanted to ask Lightning many questions, and at the same time, tell her everything Cosmos has said. "Lightning…"

"Get some rest, Yuna. We'll have time to talk tomorrow." She gave the younger girl a reassuring smile.

"O-ok," Yuna went over to an unoccupied bed and laid down on it, sleep coming to her sooner than she had expected.

"What's our next move?" Lightning asked Strider.

"We must get them to the House of Lord Elrond in Rivendell. The Nazgûl will not venture into the land of the Elves."

"And then what? What of the Ring?"

Strider turned to look at the ex-Pulse soldier. "We will seek the council of Lord Elrond, along with the elves of Mirkwood and the dwarves from the House of Durin. I will suspect that Lord Elrond will want the Ring destroyed, as it should have been long ago."

Lightning let out an unlady-like snort. "_Dwarves and elves_? I still don't believe any of this…magic stuff. It's as if I jumped into a fairytale."

Strider gave her a small smile. "Well, you are no ordinary warrior either, especially with that weapon of yours. What did you say it was called?"

"A gunblade."

"Of course. You mentioned it was a mix between a blade and a…gun?" Lightning gave a nod. "What exactly is a gun, if I may ask?"

Lightning pushed herself off the wall. She crossed her arms as she stood in front of the ranger. "You seriously have never heard of a gun?"

"Just as you don't believe in wizards, elves, and dwarves," Strider replied calmly.

Lightning let out a deep sigh of defeath. "And…what happens to me?" Her pale blue eyes met his grey ones.

"I guess its up to you. You could ask for Lord Elrond's advise."

"On how to get home? How to save my sister?" Her voice was harsh. "How would he know how to get back to Pulse? I don't belong here, _Aragorn_." His eyes flashed to the hobbits as she stepped closer to him. "My sister's life is on the line. I need to get back so I can save her."

Silence filled the air as Aragorn regarded her with calm eyes. He took out his pipe and began smoking.

"What's her name?" Aragorn asked.

"What?"

"Your sister. What is her name?"

Lightning's eyes softened. "Serah."

Aragorn nodded absentmindedly as he observed Yuna's sleeping form. "You know this girl?" he gestured to the summoner.

Lightning's eyes rested on Yuna's form and nodded. "Yuna and I were brought into a battle between Cosmos, the goddess of Harmony, and Chaos, the god of discord. There were others as well but, I don't know what happened to them." Her eyes closed. "I don't even know if I'll ever be able to get back home."

Aragorn just placed the pipe back into his mouth, pondering. "We'll have a while until we arrive at Rivendell. Perhaps you and Yuna can discuss your predicament." He took the pipe out. "Rest now. Get some sleep."

()()()()()()

They were up and on the road, early in the morning. Aragorn took them deep into the woods, Lightning and Yuna bringing up the rear.

"Where are you taking us?" Frodo called out to him.

"Into the wild," Aragorn replied as he looked for his pathway.

Merry walked up to Frodo, his eyes trained on the man. "How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf?"

Frodo looked at Aragorn. "I think a servant of the enemy would look fairer, but feel fouler."

"He's foul enough," Merry commented.

Aragorn looked over his shoulder at the comment, but did not stop.

"But Miss Lightning is fair enough," Pippin piped up. All three hobbits turned to see the female soldier speaking to Yuna.

"Yes, but she is a friend of Yuna," Frodo replied as he turned to look at Aragorn, "We have no choice but to trust him."

"But where is he leading us?" Sam asked aloud.

"To Rivendell, Master Gamgee. To the House of Elrond," Aragorn replied, having enough of the questions.

Sam had to hold back a squeal. "D'you hear that? Rivendell! We're going to see the elves!"

Meanwhile, Yuna and Lightning were in deep conversation.

"So, Cosmos came to you, too? In your dreams that is," Lightning asked the summoner.

"Yes," Yuna nodded, "She said that we came here to Middle Earth by mistake. Shinryu, the god who fought for neither Chaos nor Cosmos, put us in this world by accident when we all fought that last battle in the Rift."

Lightning listened with great intensity. "I wonder if our battle was worth it, if we were any help at all."

Yuna could only shake her head. "I'm…not sure."

"So, how do we get home? Can Shinryu bring us back?" Yuna's silence was her answer. "Can he? He's the one who brought us here!"

"I don't know, Lightning," Yuna answered calmly, "Cosmos said that Shinryu remains in World B, where the battles continue."

Lightning's eyes filled with anger. "So there is no way out from this world?"

They stopped and noticed that they were now in a land of snow. Yuna watched with some interest as Sam brought out his pan as the other three hobbits hovered over him.

They had continued to walk through the woodland, through rain, until they reach the top of the hills. Snow covered the ground in the next area. Strider paused and looked around. He turned to look at the hobbits who, were getting out frying pans and cooking utensils.

"What are they doing?" Lightning asked her.

"Gentleman," Aragorn called out to them, "We do not stop 'till nightfall!"

"What about breakfast?" Pippin called back.

Aragorn gave him a confused look. "You've already had it."

Pippin gave him a smug look. "We've had one, yes. What about _second _breakfast?"

"Second breakfast?" Lightning frowned, and turned to look at Yuna who only shrugged her shoulders.

Aragorn just gave him a look, before turning around and walking through some trees.

Merry turned to look at his close friend. "Don't know if he knows about second breakfast, Pip." He turned his attention forward just in time to catch an apple that was tossed his way. Looking from the apple to Pippin, he gave his partner a pat on the shoulder before following Aragorn. Frodo and Sam followed, along with Lightning, and Yuna who gave Pippin a smile and a pat on the shoulder. Another apple was thrown, sailing into the air and hitting Pippin on the forehead.

"Pippin!" Merry's irritated shout was heard.

They came upon a marshland, stumbling through the water and hillocks. Flies and gnats were everywhere, biting the hobbits. Yuna had summoned Valefor at the edge of the marshes, and rode the aeon across. Bill the pony had almost bolted had it not been for Aragorn's ability to speak elvish, calming the pony.

"What creature is that?" Aragorn asked with wonder.

"An Eidolon," Lightning answered.

"An _aeon_," Frodo corrected, "Lady Yuna prays to the fayth and they come to aid her in the form of a majestic beast. The aeon." He turned around and smiled proudly at the summoner, who laughed and nodded.

"The…Fayth?"

"Souls and spirits of those who'd given their lives to protect the people of Spira," Yuna answered.

And Aragorn left it at that. He was still too surprised at the creature, but deeming it not a threat, was fascinated with it. Lightning didn't tell him much about her life, likewise, he didn't tell her much of his life either. It came with being a lone dog. He allowed Lightning to come with him because of her skill as a warrior, and his desire to help her find her way. He was certain that Lord Elrond would be of some help to both her and Yuna, whatever form help came in.

"There's nothing like this in Spira," Yuna said as she observed the marshes, atop of Valefor's back.

"Disgusting," Lightning commented as she scrunched up her nose. Her boots were going to need a thorough cleaning once they got on dryer land. She held her gunblade in her arms as she continued on.

Merry smacked his face, hard, when a bug landed on his face. "What are they eating when they can't get hobbit?" he said. Pippin fell into a particular deep and dirty puddle. he sputtered and shook his head.

Nightfall had come, and Aragorn had announced that it was time for a rest. Aragorn went out hunting and brought back a nice big buck, to which Sam, Merry, and Pippin hurriedly cleaned, skinned, and cooked. Once everyone was fed, they all laid down to sleep, Aragorn taking the first watch. He took out his pipe to smoke, and after a while, began to sing.

Tinúviel elvanui,

Frodo, awaken by the soothing song, woke up and looked at Aragorn. He propped himself up on his elbows to listen.

Elleth alfirin ethelhael  
O hon ring finnil fuinui

A renc gelebrin thiliol.

"Who is she?" Frodo asked as Aragorn looked over his shoulder.

"Tis the Lady of Lúthien. The Elf Maiden who gave her love to Beren ... a mortal," Aragorn replied as he put his pipe back in his mouth.

"What happened to her?" Lightning asked, startling the two. She was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest. She'd been awake the whole time. War back at Pulse and Cocoon had made her a light sleeper.

Aragorn shook his head. "She died." He turned around to face the hobbit. "Get some sleep, Frodo." The hobbit did as he was told, and Aragorn turned to Lightning.

"I'm a light sleeper. I'm fine now."

Respecting her wishes, Aragorn looked into the night air and sighed while Lightning watched over Yuna's form, protectively.

()()()()()()

Again, they were up and on the move the next morning. They managed to trudge their way out of the marshes and onto actual land.

"Cosmos had told me that the only way we can leave this world, is if we fight for the light," Yuna said to Lightning, continuing their previous conversation.

"Fight for the light?" Lightning gave her a puzzled look.

"Did Strider tell you the story about the One Ring? The Ring of Power, which has power over all the other rings of power. Three were given to the elves, seven to the dwarves, and nine to the men. Each one of them bending to the will of the One Ring, which is owned by the Dark Lord Sauron."

"Sauron?"

Yuna nodded. "The Dark Lord who had tried to cover Middle Earth, this land we are in, in darkness."

"Yeah, I know who he is, Aragorn's told me. I just…don't believe it," Lightning muttered, "Stuff like that: elves, dwarves, magic rings, they all happen in fairytales."

Yuna gave her a sad smile. "Sauron waged war with the men, who had allied with the elves, and a great battle was fought. The men and the elves won, and there was a chance to end everything but—"

"Someone was selfish and took the Ring for his own," Lightning finished. Even if she didn't know the story, she knew how they ended. Selfishness always won in the end.

"You don't understand," Yuna protested, "The Ring has a mind of it's own. Slowly it corrupts its holder. I've seen the Ring, Lightning. It made me want to do…_evil things_."

Lightning's eyes widened. "You've seen this ring?"

Yuna looked at Frodo. "This is why I am with Frodo. The Ring came to him by his uncle, who found it in his younger days. It is my job to make sure he gets to Rivendell unharmed."

"Until I see this ring for myself, it doesn't exist. It's bad enough that I'm here in this world," Lightning stated, and walked ahead.

"But Lightning!" Yuna protested, but the soldier wasn't hearing any of it. They soon stopped on top of a hill and saw the top of the ruins of an old temple.

"This was the great watch tower of Amon Sûl," Aragorn turned to the group, "We shall rest here tonight."

They all headed up the tower into a small area that was roof by a large rock. The hobbits dropped their bags and dropped to the ground, worn out. Aragorn walked over to them with a bundle.

"These are for you," he said as he unraveled the bundle to reveal four small, hobbit-sized swords. "Keep them close, I'm going to have a look around." Each hobbit unsheathed his sword with awe. "Stay here," he ordered the hobbits.

"I'll go with you, if you don't mind," Yuna offered. She had wanted to talk to Strider for a while.

Aragorn, knowing that the girl possessed a much stronger power, gave her a nod of his head. He turned to look at Lightning.

"You don't need three people to look around. I'll stay here and look after them," Lightning told him.

Aragorn nodded, and lit a torch before he and Yuna walked away. Lightning leaned up against the rock wall, contemplating on what Yuna had told her. She eyed Frodo who was lying down to go to sleep. So he had the "ring of power," or so Yuna told her. She knew Yuna had nothing to gain by lying, even if she had been, Lightning trusted her. After all, they were comrades in the fight between harmony and discord. Yuna had a good heart.

But she couldn't bring herself up to believe such a tale. Even if she trusted Yuna, the tale seemed too great to believe. Lightning shook her head and crossed her arms, putting more weight against the rock. Her eyelids were getting heavy, her focus slacking slightly. She didn't notice the fire that Sam and Merry had made in order to cook food.

"My tomato's burst!" Merry cried.

"Can I have some bacon?" Pippin asked as he looked over Sam's shoulder and breathed in the smell of fried food.

"Ok, want a tomato, Sam?" Merry offered.

It wasn't until she heard the shout of Frodo that Lightning realized she had dozed off.

"What are you doing?" Frodo cried in a panic.

Merry pointed to the campfire and pan. "Tomatoes, sausages, and some nice crispy bacon."

Sam held out a plate for him. "We saved some for you, Mr. Frodo."

"You idiots! Put the fire out! You'll give our position away!" Lightning hissed to the three.

Frodo rushed over to them, stamping on the fire. "Put it out, you fools! Put it out!" Just as they managed to put the fire out, they heard the screams of the Nazgûl in the distance. Lightning and Frodo looked over the edge to see four black hooded figures striding towards the watchtower. Frodo gave a frightened look at Lightning, who narrowed her eyes and drew her gunblade.

"You and the others go up, now!" she ordered him.

Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Frodo, all drew their swords that Strider had given them.

"Go," Frodo told the three as he looked back down. They hesitated. "Go!" Frodo cried as he followed them up the stairs. They ran up to the top of the tower and stood in the middle of the circle of pillars back to back, looking around frantically.

"Lightning!" Frodo called out when he realized that she wasn't with them. He stopped and looked between two pillars. A Nazgûl came out from the shadow as Frodo looked on in horror. The black-rider drew its sword, and held it in front of its face. Four more Nazgûl appeared, their swords drawn as well, and were now walking slowly towards the hobbits. As they got closer they held their swords out pointed towards the group of hobbits who were walking backwards.

Sam, trembling in fright, went to take a stab. "Back you devils!" he shouted as he pulled his sword back. He stopped as a sudden sound was heard, and two of the black-riders screamed and clutched at themselves. A figure landed in front of Sam.

It was Lightning, with her gunblade in front of her.

"And here I thought you could fight," she told the hobbits behind her.

Quickly sheathing her gunblade, she lifted her arms in the air. A flash of lightning appeared, and a giant sword with blades on both ends appeared in her hands. Giving the double-ended sword a twirl, she launched it at the Nazgûls like a boomerang. With a gust, the sword knocked the black-riders back as they parried the sword, which was caught by Lightning at the end of its course. She threw the sword back up in the air while whipping out the gunblade, and the giant sword disappeared in another bolt of lightning.

"Protect Frodo," She ordered Sam, Merry and Pippin, before charging at the black-riders.

The hobbits watched in awe as they watched the young woman hold her own, even overpowering some of them. But it wasn't enough. There were too many enemies, and she could only maintain her focus on a few. One of them, which she wasn't fighting, approached the four hobbits. Sam let out a cry and lunged, but the rider knocked him away. Merry and Pippin clumped in front Frodo, but the rider just pulled them apart.

Seeing as he was on his own, Frodo's eyes widened, and he dropped his sword. He back up and fell to the ground, trying in vain to get away from the advancing Nazgûl.

"Frodo!" Lightning shouted as she looked over at the fallen hobbit. She had heard his sword fall. "Get up, you idiot! Fight! Fight!" This minor distraction allowed the Nazgûl she was fighting to stab its sword into her. She grunted and clutched her wound as she was thrown into a pillar. The rest of the riders approached Frodo who was frantically groping his pocket.

Shaking her head, Lightning looked up just in time to see Frodo disappear. "What?" she whispered in awe. She narrowed her eyes to see where Frodo had just been, but found nothing. But why were the Nazgûls posed as if he was still there? She watched as the leader reach down, trying to reach something. Then, as if something had burned its hand, it stabbed the air towards the ground. Feeling the pain in her wound spread through her body, she dropped to the ground.

Panting, she watched as one of the Nazgûl lit up in flames. Screaming, it ran around frantically and fell off the edge. Lightning turned to see Yuna, staff in hand, and Aragorn, sword in one hand and torch in the other.

"I got sloppy," she growled as Yuna gave her a worried look and ran over to her. She began to cast healing spells on her friend

Suddenly, Frodo reappeared in his same spot, screaming and clutching an area close to his shoulder, with the Ring in his other hand.

"Frodo!" Sam and Yuna shouted, as Sam ran to Frodo's side.

Aragorn engaged the Nazgûl in a swordfight. Using the torch as a ward, the sound of metal striking metal filled the air. But the Nazgûl had managed to overwhelm the ranger. Aragorn grunted as he was knocked to his feet, the Nazgûl advancing on him. Before they could stab the ranger, they looked up and jumped back just in time to avoid the swipe of a wide-large sword. Aragorn looked up at his savior.

It was a young man with spikey blond hair. His build was slim, yet muscles bulged at his biceps. He wore a sleeveless zipped-down turtleneck sweater with black cloth covering his left arm and leg. His boots and pauldron were black leather, and an emblem rested on his pauldron. Aragorn's eyes widened at the size of the sword, and took notice of the ridges, as if the sword was made of intricate parts that could be taken off. No normal man could ever hope to wield a sword that big. The blonde-haired man looked over his shoulder at Aragorn.

"You can count on me," he said to Aragorn as he got to his feet. Together, the strange man and Aragorn fought the Nazgûl, Aragorn using his torch as a ward. Aragorn watched with keen interest as the stranger pressed something on the hilt of his mighty sword, and pull out another blade, fighting with two swords this time.

Finally, Aragorn set most of the Nazgûl on fire. The first one he set a flame to, ran to another to pat the fire out, only for the other Nazgûl to catch on fire itself. They all fled from the scene, all but one who was creeping behind Aragorn. Aragorn swiftly turned around and chucked his torch at the Nazgûl's face. It gave a shrieking cry, and left the scene as well. Catching his breath, Aragorn sheathed his sword, giving the stranger a wary look.

"Thank you."

"No problem," the stranger replied, and quickly walked over to Lightning, who was passed out.

"Strider!" Sam shouted, "You have to help him!"

Aragorn ran over to Frodo.

"Nothing's working. I don't understand!" Yuna said with panic. Lightning wasn't healing. The wound wasn't responding to any healing magic. She suddenly noticed a man standing next to her. Her eyes widened. "You!"

"Me," the stranger said dumbly, before kneeling down next to Lightning and examining her wound.

"Cloud…b-but you…you fight for Chaos!" Yuna stuttered.

"According to Cosmos, not anymore," Cloud replied calmly.

Aragorn noticed a broken sword lying on the ground nearby. "They've been stabbed by a Morgul blade." It suddenly burned and disappeared into ash, Aragorn dropped the hilt with disgust. "This is beyond my skill to heal," he said as he picked Frodo up and gently put him over his shoulder, "They both need elvish medicine. Cloud, can you pick Lightning up?" He was talking to the stranger.

Cloud nodded. He went to pick up Lightning, but stopped as something glowed from beneath her clothes on an area right above her left breast. Yuna unzipped her turtleneck slightly to reveal a weird symbol that was glowing. Suddenly, Lightning's wound healed, leaving no trace except the slit in her clothes. Slowly, Lightning's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was the Cloud's face. Feeling something cold on her chest, she realized that her zipper had been lowered, and shoving him out of the way, she zipped it back up.

She suddenly heard the groans of pain of Frodo. "Frodo!" Lightening's eyes widened. She looked over to see Aragorn with Frodo over his shoulder. Her hand went to her own wound, which was completely healed.

"How?" Aragorn whispered. He had seen her wound. She should be in the same state as Frodo.

Lightning's hand went to her l'Cie mark. "The Fal'Cie…Frodo…is this my new Focus?" Lightning said softly. "It doesn't matter, we need to get Frodo some help!" she told Aragorn. She went to get up, and saw that Cloud offered his hand.

"You…" she growled, but Yuna stopped her.

"Cosmos and Chaos are not in this world. Cloud is free, as are we."

Begrudgingly, Lightning accepted the hand, and Cloud pulled her to her feet without any effort.

"Hurry!" Aragorn called to them, and the trio followed him into the woodland, the screams of the Nazgûl filled the air.

"It's six days to Rivendell!" Sam called out to Aragorn, "He'll never make it!" He started to sob.

"Hold on Frodo," Aragorn whispered as he continued to lead the group.

"Six days? Isn't there something we can do to slow whatever he has down?" Lightning asked.

Arriving at some statues in the shape of trolls, Aragorn gently set Frodo down. Sam examined the statues with great interest and went to Frodo's side.

"Look Mr. Frodo! It's Bilbo's trolls," he sad with a sad smile. Frodo only gasped, his eyes a sickly shade of blue, the whites, red and yellow. Sam gently pressed his hand against Frodo's cheek. "He's going cold!" he said to Strider.

Pippin gave Strider a worried look. "Is he going to die?"

Aragorn looked out into the trees, on the watch for the Nazgûl. "He's passing into the Shadow realm, he'll soon become a wraith like him." Yuna gasped.

"Then we can't just sit here, we need to move!" Lightning said firmly.

"There are 9 of those things still out there," Cloud argued.

As if on cue, another screech was heard.

"They're close!" Merry cried.

"Sam," Aragorn called to the hobbit, who came over. "Do you know the Athelas plant?"

"Athelas?"

"Kingsfoil."

"Kingsfoil, aye, it's a weed!"

Aragorn clasped the hobbit on the shoulder. "It may help slow the poison. Hurry!"

While Aragorn and Sam were looking for the plant, Lightning and Yuna were conversing with Cloud, their newest member.

"How are you here?" Yuna asked.

"_Why _are you here?" Lightning corrected, "Last I saw, you were a warrior of Chaos, not Cosmos."

"I challenged Chaos," was the simple answer.

Yuna and Lightning exchanged looks. "You challenged the god you were fighting for?" Lightning asked.

"Like it was my choice," Cloud said irritably, "I challenged him hoping I could end the war." He closed his eyes. "To save Tifa," he said in a smaller voice.

"Tifa?" Yuna echoed.

"How do you know Tifa?" Lightning asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Tifa is a childhood friend. We came from the same world," Cloud answered. He saw confusion in their eyes. "Tifa didn't remember me, but I remembered her. I didn't tell her because I wanted to spare her the pain of having to fight a friend."

Merry and Pippin watched the trio converse with each other.

"What do you suppose they're talking about?" Pippin asked.

"I don't know, but our group seems to be getting bigger," Merry said as he eyed Cloud.

Pippin smiled. "Good, the more the merrier."

"That still doesn't prove anything," Lightning told him.

"Cosmos came to me in my dreams," Cloud added, "She told the only way to get back home, was to fight for the Light in this world. She mentioned that you two were already here, as well as something others."

"The others?" Yuna said, excitedly, "They made it?"

Cloud shook his head. "She didn't specify who, but she assured me that they were here."

"This is wonderful, isn't it Lightning?" Yuna smiled at Lightning, who scoffed.

"I still don't trust you."

Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever." He crossed his arms and looked at Frodo. "So, who's the kid?" Yuna, looking over at Frodo, went over to his side and stroked his face. Her face was filled with worry.

"Frodo Baggins," Lightning replied, "We're on our way to Rivendell in order to decide what to do with this ring he has."

"A ring?"

"Yuna says that he holds this ancient ring of some sort which belonged to a dark lord, who tried to cover this land in darkness," Lightning explained.

"How am I not surprised by this," Cloud sighed.

"You believe it?" Lightning asked him.

"Sure, why not?" Cloud said as he looked at her. "We're in a place we know nothing about. And judging from those things that attacked you, and Frodo, is enough proof for me to believe it."

Lightning seemed unconvinced. "Listen," Cloud said, "We all want to go home. But this…this is just another step for us to take in order to get there." He turned to look at Frodo. "Besides, getting grumpy and cranky won't help a thing."

They were suddenly interrupted by a bright light coming into their vision. A young woman on a white steed appeared, Aragorn and Sam coming in after her. She dismounted her horse and walked towards Frodo. Lightning and Cloud both tensed, but upon noticing Aragorn telling them to back off, they relaxed.

"Frodo Im Arwen. Telin le thaed. Lasto beth nin. Tolo dan na galad (_I have come to help you. Hear my voice. Come back to the light_)," she said in a strange language. Her voice was smooth and melodious.

"Who is she?" Merry asked, entranced.

The woman felt Frodo's forehead as Aragorn put some of the plant they had found in his mouth, and chewed.

"She's an elf," Sam said with realization.

Lightning's eyes narrowed on the woman, taking in her appearance. Besides her ethereal beauty, she noticed that her ears were pointed. "An elf?" Even Cloud and Yuna looked at her with fascination.

"He's fading," the she-elf said as she pulled Frodo's shirt back to reveal the wound. Taking the chewed plant from his mouth, Aragorn pressed it against the wound, making Frodo gasp. "He's not going to last," the she-elf continued and looked at Aragorn, "We must get him to my father."

Aragorn picked Frodo up.

"I've been looking for you for two days. There are five wraiths behind you, where the other four are, I do not know," she told him as he placed Frodo up upon her horse.

"Dartho guin perian. Rych le ad tolthathon (_Stay with the Hobbits. I will send horses back for you_)," Aragorn said in the language she spoke.

"Hon mabathon. Rochon ellint im (_I'm the faster rider. I'll take him_)," she replied.

Pippin watched them with interest and confusion. "What are they saying?"

Elf's eyes flashed. "Frodo fîr. Ae athradon i hir, tur gwaith nin beriatha hon (_Frodo's dying. If I can across the river, the power of my people will protect him_)" she said. She put her hand on the saddle. "I do not fear them," she told Aragorn.

Aragorn gave the elf a soft look, taking her hand into his. "Be iest lîn (_As you wish_)" he told her softly.

She smiled, before mounting the white horse, Frodo wheezing and gasping for air. Aragorn put a hand on her leg, getting her to look at him. "Ride hard. Don't look back," he instructed her.

The elf leaned forward and spoke to her horse. "Noro lim, Asfaloth, noro lim! (Ride fast, Asfaloth, ride fast!)." Heading her words, the horse backed up a couple steps before bolting.

"What are you doing?" Sam shouted at Strider, "Those wraiths are still out there!"

Aragorn only had a worried look on his face

Lightning ran over to Aragorn, and looking into the distance where the she-elf had taken Frodo. Putting a hand where her l'Cie mark was, a bright light glowed and a red sphere appeared in her hand. "Odin…let's ride!" She threw the sphere up in the air and hitting it with her gunblade.

The sphere burst, and a glowing glyph appeared. A large, strange looking figure dressed in white and gold amour rose from the glyph. As soon as its entire figure was out, it began transforming itself until it was in the form of a horse. Letting out a loud cry, the horse galloped down from the sky and in front of Lightning, who mounted him. Her giant sword appeared, this time in two, a blade in each hand.

"It's my fault Frodo got hurt. I'm gonna make sure he makes it," she said with determination.

Another giant horse, smaller that Odin, appeared next to Lightning. Yuna was atop of it, her staff in hand. "I'll come too." The two women exchanged looks, before looking at Aragorn.

"Do as you will. Don't look back," he told them, and the two rode off in the direction of the she-elf. He watched them ride off.

"Guess that leaves me," Cloud said as he walked up to Aragorn's side.

"You do not have a horse," Aragorn pointed out.

Cloud shrugged. "I don't need anything to ride on. But I'm sure your friend will be fine with those two helping her." He looked back at Sam, Merry, and Pippin. "So…are we going to the same place?"

()()()()()()

The sun was just beginning to rise as Arwen was riding through the fields and open plains. As she reached the woodlands, she noticed something black through the trees. The Ringwraiths. And they were on both sides of her. As she reached a clearing she heard the cry, and saw a black-rider appear behind her. Another rider appeared beside them, and the two arranged themselves so that would be flanking her. She looked behind her and saw that there were now five Ringwraiths, closely catching up to her.

The first two that had appeared and caught up to her, each reaching out to Frodo, who looked at the one to his left. Arwen looked in horror as the hands got closer.

A bolt of lightning suddenly hit one of the riders, briefly stunning its black horse. Arwen looked to find a large, exotically dark colored horse with a long sharp horn on its head. Its rider was a woman with a staff in her hand. "We're here to help!" she told Arwen.

The rider on Arwen's other side looked up, and pulled back on its horse just in time to dodge the swipe of two blades. Arwen looked to her other side to find a gold and white horse, with a woman holding a might blade in each hand. "Go! We'll slow these guys down!"

Arwen didn't know whether to trust these two women or not, but she remembered seeing them with Aragorn. "Noro lim Asfaloth!" Arwen cried to her horse, who began to thump his hooves on the ground. With a great heave, the white horse pushed forth and created some distance with the Ringwraiths.

While Lightning and Yuna did their best to distract the Nazgûl, the black-riders did not relent in their chase. All they were able to do is give the she-elf enough time to make it across the river, after going to and fro, going in and out of trees. The two women found themselves behind the she-elf, looking at the Nazgûl who were standing on the other side of a river. Their black steeds would not budge, and reared in frustration.

"Give up the Halfling she-elf!" one of the wraiths growled. Its voice was a low, guttural sound. Terrifying for Yuna.

Arwen drew her sword, her eyes daring. "If you want him, come and claim him!"

The three women looked on in worry as the wraiths slowly urged their steeds into the water. Arwen closed her eyes, concentrating, and began to chant.

Nin o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer,  
Rimmo nin Bruinen, dan in Ulair!

Lightning and Yuna watched as the water started flowing faster.

Nin o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer,  
Rimmo nin Bruinen, dan in Ulair!

The water began to rise, and suddenly, a great wave was seen coming from upriver. The wraiths atop their horses, suddenly found their horses unwilling to go any further, and began to back up. Yuna and Lightning also saw the wave, their eyes wide at the site. White horses were seen within the wave, like a herd ready to stampede through.

"What the hell is that?" Lightning whispered. They all watched as the wave overwhelmed the wraiths and their black steeds; the water cleansing the impurities that had polluted it. It was mesmerizing to the summoner and ex Pulse soldier, but they were soon snapped out of their daze from the cry of the she-elf.

"No! Frodo, no!"

"Frodo!" Yuna breathed, as she rushed to his side.

Arwen gently shook him. "Frodo, don't give in, not now!" The hobbit was choking, gasping, as the she gently laid him upon the ground. Tears sprung into her eyes when the hobbit made no response.

Lightning just stood there, unable to do anything. Her eyes were closed. They were too late. Everything was doomed.

"Oh Fayths of Spira, please hear my prayer!" Yuna chanted, tears sliding down her own cheeks. But nothing happened. The powers of the Fayth cannot combat the dark magic of the Morgul blade.

Arwen took the young hobbit in her arms, cradling him. "What grace has given me," she whispered, "let it pass to him. Let him be spared." She closed her eyes, tears dropping like raindrops. "Save him."

Lightning was about to sheath her gunblade, when movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She pointed her blade at the intruder, Yuna taking up her staff. They were met by the point of an arrow, it holders were tall, handsome, blonde and brunette-haired elves. Another elf, with long blond-hair approached Arwen.

"My Lady, are you hurt?"

Arwen opened her eyes. "Glorfindel," she breathed.

The older elf gave a sad smile before sweeping Frodo up in his arms like a child. "Come, we must take the hobbit to your father. I fear if we delay any longer, he will be out of our reach."

"Hey, do you know these people?" Lightning called out to Arwen, her eyes never leaving the intruders. The point of an arrow was thrust in her face.

"Do not speak to Lady Undomiel in that tone," an elf guard said.

"Stay your hand, they are friends," Arwen ordered the guard, "They protected me from the wraiths."

"These humans?"

Arwen looked back at the two women, who were giving her wary glances. "Humans they may seem, but they fight like no warrior, witch, or sorceress that I've met."

Yuna let out a frustrated sound. "I am a friend of Frodo Baggins, my name is Yuna. Gandalf the Grey has appointed me as his guardian. Please, can you help him?"

Glorfindel looked over his shoulder. "We can, but we must get him to Lord Elrond," he mounted his horse that was nearby, "Follow me!"

The summoner and the ex-soldier followed the elves to the House of Elrond, Frodo's life draining into the Shadow realm with every second.


End file.
